The Light in the Darkness
by claineallen
Summary: Olivia Hansen is starting her first year at Hogwarts with her best friend, Lily Evans. Friendship, disaster, and hurt play a role as Olivia vies for the affection of a certain Marauder. Spans from the first train ride to the birth of Harry Potter.
1. The Hogwarts Express

_**A/N: Hi everyone! This is my very first story called The Light in the Darkness. This fanfic will be centered, for the most part, around Olivia Hansen, a muggleborn witch who is best friends with Lily Evans. But don't worry, there will be a lot of time focused on the Marauders and their crazy antics. Constructive criticism is always welcome, but please go easy on the flames. Thanks for reading!**_

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><p><strong><em><em>Chapter 1: The Hogwarts Express**

_I can do this. I can do this. I can do this..._

Olivia looked up at the massive form that was the Hogwarts Express repeating the mantra in her head over and over again. Her parents had just dropped her off at King's Cross Station where she would be boarding the train to begin her first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The fact that she was standing here was a miracle in itself, as far as Olivia was concerned. Only two months ago, she was at home, dreading the day that she was to start secondary school, when ancient-looking man wearing the most outrageous set of clothes shows up on her parent's doorstep declaring Olivia a witch. To say that her parents were freaked out would be the understatement of the year. Actually, the man was quite lucky not to have been arrested, really. But as the old man started explaining himself, her parents finally allowed him inside their home. The strange man introduced himself as Professor Albus Dumbledore, and it turned out that he was the headmaster of a prestigious magical school, and Olivia had been accepted. After hours upon hours of questions, answers, explanations, and a few demonstrations, Olivia's father finally turned to her.

"Olivia, what do you think?"

For Olivia, there never really was a question. In no time at all, she was no longer enrolled in secondary school and for everyone who cared, she would be attending a boarding school in Germany. Her not being able to go to the local secondary school was no loss to Olivia. She had honestly never really fit in with the others at her school. It wasn't as if Olivia didn't have friends. She actually did have quite a few of them, and although her self-esteem would not normally allow her to see it, Olivia was considered by most to be quite beautiful. She was slender, with long, wavy dark brown hair and light, piercing, blue eyes. Even though was physically attractive, she always had trouble fitting in with her group of friends. Deep down, Olivia was desperately hoping that Hogwarts would be her chance to finally feel as though she belonged for once in her life.

Olivia was thrilled to be accepted into Hogwarts, but it was still hard for her to comprehend her being a witch. The only reason she believed anything that Professor Dumbledore said was because she finally had the opportunity to visit Diagon Alley with her parents. Her family decided to make the trip the week following the visit from Dumbledore. Olivia and her parents finally realized that there may be some truth to Dumbledore's words as they visited Madam Malkin's Robes For All of Occasions for her school uniform and Flourish and Blotts for her schoolbooks. Olivia's parents even surprised her with her very own owl from the Owl Emporium. The small owl was a dark brown, speckled with white spots all over. The owl nipped playfully at her fingers as Olivia affectionately rubbed her head.

Even though Olivia and her parents were firm believers in witches and wizards after they had seen Diagon Alley with their own eyes, only after Olivia had received her wand from Ollivanders did she honestly believe that she might actually belong in this world.

"Ten inches, elm, with a core of unicorn hair," Mr. Ollivander had told her after her wand "chose her". Olivia couldn't help the smile that was plastered on her face as she thought back on how drastically her life had changed in the past few months.

Olivia was suddenly pulled out of her daydream by the loud whistle of the train signaling its departure. Olivia hopped onto the train quickly before allowing herself a chance to chicken out. Already feeling nervous about being on her own with knowing anyone, Olivia lugged her large trunk into the hallway of the car. The narrow corridor was packed with kids walking back and forth trying to find a cabin to sit in. As Olivia shrugged her way through the crowd, she realized that most of the cabins were already full of many kids laughing and talking excitedly. Feeling a little shy about meeting new people, Olivia opted for trying to find an empty cabin in the back of the car. By the time she finally got to the end of the hallway, she realized that the corridor was practically deserted.

Olivia came to a cabin that only had two people inside, so she decided to put on a brave face and attempt to make her first new friends. She opened the cabin door and saw that there was a pretty redheaded girl and addressed her first.

"Hi! There aren't any other cabins open. Do you mind if I join you two?"

The slender girl with red hair and startling green eyes look up at Olivia and smiled. "No, not at all! Come on in."

Olivia let out a sigh of relief and smiled back shyly. "Thanks."

"My name is Lily. Lily Evans." The redhead said brightly.

"I'm Olivia Hansen."

"Well it's nice to meet you Olivia. This is my friend Severus Snape."

Olivia turned her attention to the boy sitting beside Lily. He was a skinny, sallow-skinned boy with a large hooked nose that dominated his facial features. He had his head hung down which allowed his pitch black hair to partially cover his face.

_He's probably just shy, _Olivia thought to herself. She stuck her hand out to the boy and put on a bright smile. "Hi, Severus. It's very nice to meet you."

The dark haired boy looked up at Olivia with eyes as dark as onyx and a considering expression on his face. Eventually, he gave Olivia a small smile. "Nice to meet you, too."

Olivia's smile broadened when Lily turned back to her.

"So, Olivia, what house do you think you'll be in?"

Olivia turned to Lily with a confused look. "House?"

"Yes, house-Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, and Hufflepuff. Everyone gets sorted into a house when they first arrive at Hogwarts. Sev and I are hoping that we can make it into Slytherin, but I'm so worried that..."

"Wait a second," Severus cut in. "Are you a muggleborn?"

Olivia, once again, had no idea what they were talking about. She looked from Severus to Lily and back again, not really sure how she should answer the question. There was still so much she hadn't learned yet about this new world.

"A what?" Olivia asked timidly.

"A muggleborn. It means you have nonmagical parents." Severus replied seriously.

"Oh, yes. I only just found out that I am a witch a few months ago."

All of a sudden, Olivia was bombarded with a pile of red hair.

"Oh, Olivia, so am I!" Lily exclaimed excitedly while wrapping Olivia in a tight embrace. "This is so great that I have someone to relate to. The only reason I know anything about Hogwarts is because of Sev, here. He's a halfblood."

Olivia returned the embrace with a smile on her face, happy to know that someone was going through the same feelings that she was. Soon enough, Olivia and Lily were talking and whispering excitedly about what their first year at Hogwarts would have in store for them. Even Severus would chime in occasionally on the topic being discussed. Olivia was sure that she and Lily would become great friends.

Sooner than expected, it was time for the three new friends to change into their school uniforms, or robes, as Olivia found out they were called. Just as Severus stepped back into the cabin from changing, the train began to ground to a stop. After being instructed to leave their trunks behind, Olivia, Lily, and Severus stuck close together and squeezed their way out onto the platform. Shortly after stepping out of the train, the three were met with a loud and booming voice.

"All right, firs' years! Over here! Gather roun'. Gather roun'. No pushing over there! I'm Hagrid-Keeper of Keys and Grounds here at Hogwarts. Follow me!"

Olivia gazed upon the massive form of Hagrid with wide eyes. She had never in her life seen anyone as huge as the groundskeeper. She chanced a quick look at Lily and Severus and realized, with relief, that they, too, seemed to be extremely shocked at the stature of Hogwarts' personal welcome wagon. Hagrid was easily ten feet tall, with a large, fuzzy beard that was almost as untamable as his hair.

The group of nervous first years followed the giant man along a dark path until they came upon a large fleet of small wooden boats sitting on the shoreline of a large, expansive, lake. Olivia quickly sat in one of the first boats with Lily and Severus taking the seat on each side of her. After everyone had found a place to sit, the boats began moving across the lake at a steady pace. As they rounded the curve of the lake, a collective gasp could be heard from all over. There, right in front view of the boats, was the most magnificent sight Olivia had ever seen. She had never dreamed that Hogwarts Castle could be so incredible. In the night sky, the school grounds were illuminated to show the beautiful stone walls of the castle, the huge wooden doors that Olivia assumed was the front entrance, and some other separate structure that resembled a stadium, but she wasn't really sure what it was. The boats continued to move until they reached the shoreline, where they continued to trek up to the castle on foot. Eventually, they entered the giant front doors and continued walking until they came to a large empty hallway. The sound of students could be heard talking animatedly through the door that was directly in front of the first years.

Olivia glanced over at Lily and saw that she was squirming with anticipation. "I wonder what house I'll get in?"

"Me too." Olivia replied with a shaky voice.

The group of new students quieted down immediately at the sudden appearance of a slender, severe-looking woman wearing a set of emerald green robes. Her dark hair was pulled back into a tight bun at the base of her head, and she wore an expression that made it clear she was not a person to be questioned.

"Good evening students and welcome to Hogwarts. Through these doors await your fellow students and our annual Welcoming Feast. In a few moments, you will enter these doors and be sorted into your houses. The houses are: Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Gryffindor. While at Hogwarts, your house will be your home. Any achievements will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will cost your house points. At the end of the school year, the house with the most points will win the House Cup. I am Professor McGonagall; Transfiguration professor and Head of Gryffindor House. Any questions?"

The group of first years all shook their heads timidly.

"Very well. Let us proceed then, shall we?" The professor turned on her heal and began leading the group into the large room.

Everyone filed in behind her as she entered the room. It was quite a large room, with four long tables that held countless students. Olivia glanced up towards the ceiling and gasped quietly. Above their heads were thousands of floating candles dimly illuminated against what appeared to be a beautiful night sky. You could even see the occasional shooting star quickly flittering across the entire expanse.

"I've read about this ceiling in _Hogwarts: A History_" Severus whispered to Olivia.

As the first years neared the front of the large room, Olivia realized that they were coming to a single stool that was sitting in front of a large table that appeared to be for the staff of Hogwarts. On top of the stool sat a old, worn out, hat.

The stern looking professor walked straight to the stool and turned around, signaling the first years to stop. She picked up the old hat in one hand, while holding a roll of parchment in the other. "When I call your name, please make your way up to be sorted into your house."

Olivia glanced around nervously. _What occurs at a "sorting" anyways! What if I don't get in? I wish I would have read that history book Severus was talking about._

Olivia's thoughts were interrupted by the commanding voice of Professor McGonagall. "Aldridge, Laci!"

Olivia had never been more happy that her surname didn't start with the first letter of the alphabet as she watched a pale, blond girl nervously make her way and take a seat on the stool. As she sat down, Professor McGonagall placed the dirty old hat on top of the frightened girl's head. Olivia stood, watching in fascination as the room became silent while waiting for Laci to be sorted. As a few more seconds passed, Olivia was convinced that she was missing something, when, all of a sudden, the old hat erupted with a loud and clear voice. "RAVENCLAW!"

The Ravenclaw table exploded with cheers and applause as Laci hopped down excitedly and scurried to her waiting housemates.

At the sudden voice of the sorting hat, Olivia had jumped violently and bumped straight into someone. "Oh, I'm sorry." Olivia turned and realized that she had crashed into a boy with sandy blond hair and bright amber eyes.

The boy gave Olivia a quick, shy smile. "Don't worry about it. No harm done."

"Bones, Charles!" Mcgonagall continued with the sorting.

"I'm Olivia Hansen. What's your name?"

"Remus Lupin. Nice to meet you." The boy responded.

"Black, Sirius!"

Olivia turned her attention back to the front of the hall as an attractive boy with dark black hair walked straight up to the stool with a confident grin. A few of the girls standing around Olivia giggled quietly. His grey eyes sparkled with mischief, and he plopped down on the stool looking as if he didn't have a care in the world. After a few moments, the sorting hat announced, "GRYFFINDOR!" as the gorgeous boy's chosen house.

Sirius hopped down and strutted down to the cheering Gryffindor table. Olivia noticed that the Slytherin table looked at Sirius with shocked glances and sneers of disgust. Although it was quite confusing, she didn't have much time to think about it before she heard McGonagall call the next name.

"Evans, Lily!"

Olivia heard Lily's sharp intake of breath, and Olivia reached over and gave her friend's hand a reassuring squeeze. "You can do this." She whispered quietly to her redheaded friend.

Lily gave a curt nod and walked up to the stool. McGonagall placed the hat on her head and Olivia held her breath. After a few minutes, the hat had made its decision.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Olivia clapped and smiled broadly as she watched her friend scamper over to the cheering Gryffindor table and take a seat. She was now sure that she wanted to be in Gryffindor, so she wouldn't have to be separated from Lily. She waited nervously for her name to be called.

"Fenwick, Roland"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Gabberton, Amelia"

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Hansen, Olivia"

Olivia took a deep breath and began making her way to the stool. _Here we go._ She nervously took her seat as McGonagall placed the sorting hat on her head. It easily fell well below her eyes and for a few moments, nothing happened.

"Ah, I see you have a good mind." Olivia started at the voice that appeared suddenly in her head. "...and a willingness to prove yourself worthy. I also sense a bit of a spirit in you. Hmm...wouldn't make a very good Hufflepuff, would you?"

_Please let me be in Gryffindor, please let me be in Gryffindor..._

"Well, alright then. I guess it's going to have to be...GRYFFINDOR!" The hat exclaimed loudly for all of hear.

Olivia hopped off the stool and ran to join Lily at the Gryffindor table. Lily met her with a tight embrace as the Gryffindor table erupted into cheers all around them. Olivia settled herself beside Lily as they continued to watch the rest of the sorting.

"Johnson, Alexander"

"RAVENCLAW!"

Killington, Margaret"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Liles, Mason"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Lupin, Remus"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Olivia smiled as Remus hopped off the stool and came to sit beside her at the Gryffindor table. Her smile broadened as Remus gave her a small smile in return.

The sorting continued to go on and on for quite some time. The first years were relatively evenly distributed among the four houses, with Hufflepuff seeming to gain a slight margin in the first years.

"Mildred, Katherine"

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Pettigrew, Peter"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Pilgredge, Seraphina"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Potter, James"

Olivia watched as a handsome boy with bright hazel eyes walked up to the stool. The boy sitting across from Olivia, Sirius, gave a loud whoop as the hazel-eyed boy ran his hands through his dark and unbelievably messy hair and sat down on the stool. Almost immediately after the hat was placed on the boy's head, the sorting hat declared, "GRYFFINDOR!" James smiled broadly and was greeted with numerous handshakes and slaps on the back as he joined the Gryffindor table.

"Snape, Severus"

"Ooo, Olivia! Sev is about to be sorted!" Lily whispered to Olivia excitedly. "I hope he's not too disappointed with our being in Gryffindor."

"I'm sure he won't mind." Olivia responded gently as she watched her friend get sorted.

"SLYTHERIN!"

Olivia watched the slightly sad look cross Lily's face and knew that she didn't want to be separated from her other friend. "Don't worry Lily. I'm sure we will still have classes with Severus, and there will be loads of time to hang out with him." Olivia offered gently.

"Do you really think so? I just don't want Sev to be by himself."

"Absolutely! And I'm sure Severus will have a great time in Slytherin. He'll make friends in no time." Olivia responded firmly, although she wasn't quite sure she believed her own words. Even looking over to the Slytherin table at that moment, she saw the condescending, sneering faces of some of the Slytherin students, and was eternally grateful that she was lucky enough to be placed elsewhere.

The noise of a clearing throat reverberated through the large hall and all the students turned to face the teacher's table. There, standing at the dais, was the man that Olivia knew to be Professor Dumbledore. He gave a short speech, welcoming them all to a new year at Hogwarts. He also mentioned a tree located on the grounds called a Whomping Willow. Apparently it was a rather rare specimen of tree, and he warned all students to stay away from the tree at all costs. At the close of his speech, he clapped his hands and the Welcoming Feast began.

Olivia didn't think that she had ever seen so much food in her life. She quickly loaded her plate with all of her favorite dishes as the gorgeous grey eyed boy sitting in front of her began to speak.

"Well, I do believe introductions are in order, don't you think James?"

The messy haired boy boy nodded his head in agreement. "I do believe you're right, Sirius. I'm James Potter, and this is my best mate, Sirius Black." He said while slapping Sirius on the back.

Sirius immediately stood and gave a very formal bow at the mention of his name. Everyone snickered at his formality "Do you have a name, mate?" he said towards the quiet boy sitting beside Olivia.

The boy smiled, a little nervously, and responded kindly. "Remus. Remus Lupin."

"Well, it's nice to meet you Remus Remus Lupin." Sirius replied with a laugh. James snorted into his pumpkin juice, and even Remus couldn't help but laugh along with the boys.

"What about you two?" James directed at the two girls.

"I'm Olivia Hansen, and this is Lily Evans."

"Nice to meet you two fair damsels." Sirius said with a lopsided grin. Lily rolled her eyes, while Olivia snickered quietly.

The Welcoming Feast was spectacular in Olivia's mind. James and Sirius never allowed her a minute of time to catch her breath with their constantly making her laugh, and Olivia knew that the three of them would be great friends. They were also introduced to a short, portly boy that was sitting on the other side of James. His name was Peter Pettigrew, and you could tell right away that he would fall into their group seamlessly.

After the feast had come to a close, the new Gryffindors followed their prefects up to Gryffindor Tower to be shown their common room and dormitories. Olivia was overwhelmingly happy to find out that she and Lily would be sharing the same dorm room together, along with two other girls: Margaret Killington and Mary McDonald. The girls ended up staying up late gossiping and talking about all that was to come during their first year at Hogwarts. By the time they decided to finally turn in for the night, it was quite late. But as Olivia laid her head down to go to sleep, she knew that for the first time in her life, she actually felt like she belonged.

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><p>"What we need to do is convince Peeves to help us sneak into Filch's office." Sirius said rather loudly while shooting glances to the Professor at the front of the classroom.<p>

"I definitely agree with you there. But I also think we should keep looking into this." James pointed to a square piece of folded parchment lying on his desk.

Remus sighed with a slight smile on his face as he laid his quill down. They were sitting in History of Magic, which was, by far, the most boring class Hogwarts had to offer, so he could understand why his friends didn't pay attention. They were supposed to be taking notes from Professor Binns' lecture on the Great Goblin wars, but normally James and Sirius used this time to "plot" for their next attack. Only one month had passed since school started, and already James and Sirius were notoriously known as the biggest pranksters the school had ever seen. They had already racked up numerous detentions; some of which Remus, himself, were included in. Remus, James, Sirius, and Peter had become great mates since the beginning of school. Not only were they all living in the same dorm, but they had also hung out so often that they had become known as "The Marauders".

Remus glanced up and noticed the two girls sitting in front of them. Olivia and Lily were practically connected at the hip these days. You could always guarantee that where you would find one, you would definitely find the other. Olivia had formed quite a close friendship to James and Sirius since the start of the school year. She was spirited and was more often than not up for a little mischief, which allowed her to fit along quite well with James and Sirius. But the thing that surprised Remus was how seriously Olivia took her studies, which is how the pair also became great friends. Remus, Olivia, and occasionally Lily spent countless hours in the library writing essays, practicing wandwork, or just reading textbook chapters.

Remus was brought back from his thoughts at the sound of Professor Binns ending class.

"Finally!" Sirius groaned. "Hey, we've all got a free period. Let's go down to the lake."

The other three Marauders agreed readily, and they all began to make their way through the Entrance Hall. As they passed through the doors, Remus was engulfed in the cool October breeze. The sun was shining, and there were students all over the grounds. Sirius led them down to the edge of lake and plopped down, scattering his books everywhere.

"Hey Sirius, want to play a game of Exploding Snap?" Peter asked timidly.

"Nah, I want to do something exciting. And besides, you're terrible at Snap."

James snorted as he took a seat beside Sirius.

"I'll play with you, Peter." Remus told the chubby boy kindly. Peter smiled and grabbed his bag to get the game set up.

"Uh oh, James. Look what we have over there!" Sirius responded with growing enthusiasm as James sat up to take a look.

Remus' eyes followed the direction in which Sirius' outstretched hand was pointing and realized that he was pointing to three figures huddled around underneath the shade of a large tree. He let out a small sigh when he realized that the three figures belonged to Olivia, Lily, and Severus Snape. Knowing how this was going to turn out, Remus tried to grab Sirius' attention.

"Sirius, why don't you come and play Snap with us?"

"In a minute, Remus. Right now, James and I have some business to handle. Right James?"

James hopped to his feet as comprehension dawned on him. He glanced over at Sirius quickly and gave him a small, evil, grin. "That's right. We'll be right back."

The game being all but forgotten, Peter scurried to chase after James and Sirius, knowing it probably meant that he was going to be able to watch a bit of action. Peter always was the one that would only watch and egg the two pranksters on.

Remus let out a groan and hopped to his feet, hoping he could stop the situation before it occurred. Last time James and Sirius bullied Snape, Lily and Olivia didn't speak to the Marauders for almost a week. Remus really enjoyed spending time with Olivia, so he needed to make sure that the two boys didn't do anything stupid.

Remus reached the group just as he heard James' voice.

"Hello, Evans. Hello, Liv. Is Snivellus here bothering you?"

Lily looked at James with a look of pure, unadulterated, hatred. Snape stood just behind Lily with his trademark sneer. Even Olivia, with her normally kind demeanor, had her brows furrowed and her lips pulled in a tight frown.

"No, Potter." Lily hissed venomously. "The only one who is bothering me right now it you, you arrogant toerag!"

James didn't even blink at Lily's insult to him. Everyone knew that James had declared his love for Lily during the second week of school, and had been trying to get her to go out with him since said day. Lily being such good friends with Snape only proved to make James bully him more considering he couldn't even get Lily to sit within a ten foot radius of him.

"Don't worry Lils. We'll handle him." Sirius said promptly, while obviously ignoring Lily.

Snape quickly pulled out his wand, pointing it back and forth between James and Sirius. It seemed like he couldn't decide if he should try to curse one, or mainly focus on defending himself against the two bullies.

"Tarantallegra!" James shouted.

Although Snape tried to block the spell, he wasn't quite quick enough and he was currently dancing frantically while Peter rolled on the ground laughing. Remus thought it might be time to try to step in.

"James, maybe we should just leave him and go back into the castle."

"Almost done, Remus!" James yelled back through his fits of laughter.

Lily had whipped her wand out as soon as the flash left James' wand. "Potter, leave him alone!"

"I will if you agree to go out with me, Evans." James' responded cheekily.

All of a sudden, Lily marched straight up to James and smacked him right in the face.

"Ow! What was that for Evans?" James exclaimed while rubbing his now tender cheek.

"For being a complete arse! That's what, Potter!"

Remus realized that while the confrontation between Lily and James had been holding everyone's attention, Olivia had nonchalantly muttered the counter curse to James' spell, and was now helping Snape sit on the ground. He was panting loudly after being physically exhausted from the dancing jinx. Apparently, at the same time Remus noticed, Sirius also noticed Snape's tired form.

"Oi! Snivellus! Who said you could stop dancing? Are you tired? Well, why don't we put you to sleep for a bit!" Sirius yelled maliciously. "Stupefy!"

Remus cringed as he watched the red jet of light shoot from the tip of Sirius' wand. It was only a matter a seconds before it would reach Snape's tired form and they could all count on at least a week's detention for this little stunt. Just as the light was about to hit Snape in the chest, Remus heard a commanding voice.

"PROTEGO!"

Remus watched in total shock as the red jet of light seemed to hit an invisible brick wall and reflect straight back at him. The reflected spell struck Sirius right in the chest and threw him back several feet. By the time Sirius hit the ground, he was out cold. Remus turned around to find the source of the defensive spell and was shocked to see Olivia's wand pointed directly at Sirius' limp form. Her dark wavy hair was gently blowing in the wind, and her light blue eyes were flashing with determination and anger. She quickly glanced at Remus, who gave no intention of trying to stop her from defending Snape, then turned her gaze towards James.

_She is very pretty_.

The thought entered Remus' mind out of nowhere, and it startled him. Shaking his head to try to get the ridiculous thought out of his mind, he turned his attention back to the scene before him.

At the sound of Sirius' spell backfiring on him, James and Lily's argument ended. James looked with wide eyes at the limp form of his best friend and then back to Olivia, who was still clutching her wand tightly. Lily gave Olivia a triumphant smirk.

"Nice going, Liv!" James exclaimed excitedly. "Sirius is going to be furious when he realizes that you bested him!" He continued laughing as he jogged over to his unconscious best mate.

At James' obvious cavalier attitude at Sirius' predicament, Lily let out a frustrated sigh.

Realizing that James was busy reviving Siriurs, the two friends took it as their signal to make an escape and quickly ushered Snape to his feet. Snape allowed the two girls to help him up and the three hurried their way back up to the castle.

"Ennervate." James' muttered while pointing his wand towards Sirius.

"Wha-? What's going on?" Sirius said groggily. "I think I might have just been run over by a hippogriff."

"Nah, Liv just completely owned you after you tried to send a stunner at ol' Snivellus." James responded with a wide smile.

Sirius immediately jumped to his feet. "SHE WHAT?"

"Yep. Conjured a shield charm right in front of the ugly git. You never saw it coming."

Remus left the two friends arguing back and forth and turned his attentions toward the three retreating figures that had almost made it to the Entrance Hall doors. He noticed that right before entering, Olivia turned to look back down at the four gathered friends, no doubt making sure Sirius was alright. When Olivia realized that Remus was looking straight at her, she gave a small, shy wave. Feeling his chest tighten, Remus raised his hand and returned her gesture with a small smile of his own. Olivia smiled brightly and continued into the Entrance Hall. Remus felt his face flush as he turned to his three friends who were still arguing. Remus sat down beside a tree, ignoring his friends' argument and decided to allow himself to think about the pretty blue-eyed brunette that somehow had caught his attention.


	2. Secrets

_**A/N: Hi everyone. Just a side note: This fic is going to be extremely AU, so don't be surprised if things don't go quite the way you expect it. This chapter is a fast forward chapter into Olivia's 6th year. I want this to be a novel-length story that extends past their graduation, so I needed to skip a bit or it would be massive. I know that the first chapter was split into separate POVs, this chapter is going to eventually have both POVs while characters are interacting together. Be sure to R&R! Thanks!**_

_**P.S.-I own nothing! (With the exception of Olivia, of course.) :)**_

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 2: Secrets<strong>_

"Another year at Hogwarts, another chance to get Evans to go out with me." James declared confidently as he leaned back in his seat on the Hogwarts Express. "There is no way that she will be able to resist my witty charm this year!"

Olivia looked up from her charms textbook and laughed at her friend's arrogance towards their sixth year at Hogwarts. She couldn't believe how quickly the years had flown by. It seemed just like yesterday that they were starting their very first year. Honestly, Olivia couldn't blame James for his confidence. She had to admit that it was going to extremely hard for Lily, or any girl for that matter, to resist James this year; he had definitely grown into his own over the years. Of course, he still had his trademark messy hair, which seemed to become more untamable every year, and his eyes were still constantly sparkling with mischief behind his thick rimmed frames, but he was definitely taller. Not to mention, with all the Quidditch practices and flying, he was definitely considered to be in great shape.

"You say that every year, Prongs." Sirius reminded him with a smirk as he stretched out onto the seat across from them. He, also, never had any trouble finding dates to Hogsmeade and had, over the years, gained the reputation of being quite the ladies' man. He was only a bit taller than James, with long, shaggy, black hair that he was constantly pushing out of his bright, gray eyes. "She's resisted you for five years. I don't know, mate. Maybe you're losing it." He finished with a cheeky grin.

"What?" James asked, outraged at the mere notion that a girl wouldn't swoon at his very presence. "Of course I'm charming! Liv, tell Padfoot here how charming I am."

"Extraordinarily charming." Olivia murmured absentmindedly while reading her text.

James gave Sirius a triumphant grin. "See Pads? Case closed."

Olivia glanced up at her two friends and smiled. She had really missed them. Over the years, Olivia had become quite close to James, Sirius, and Remus and had spent at least half of every summer at James' house. But this break, her parents had decided to take an extended vacation to visit family, so she had spent the entire summer with her parents in Greece. She really enjoyed traveling and spending time with her relatives, but she really missed her friends and being able to use her magic. Olivia was no longer the timid first year that had showed up at Hogwarts so many years ago. She had learned to embrace her powers, and had actually become quite good at using it. On several occasions, Professor McGonagall had praised her work in Transfiguration, and she was easily top in her year in that class. The only class that she really ever had trouble in was Defense against the Dark Arts, which was actually quite alright with her. The boys were easily some of the best students in the class, so Olivia always was able to get help whenever she was struggling with a particularly hard spell or theory.

"Hey, Liv, where is your redheaded sidekick, anyways?" Sirius asked with a quick grin in James' direction.

Olivia quickly interjected before James had a chance to retort. "She was with Margaret, Mary, and some of the other girls, but I think she had to leave to do prefect duties before she could come by here."

Olivia knew how annoyed James was by this. Over the years, Lily started spending less and less times in the presence of the Marauders and more time with a large group of girls. This didn't bother Olivia, though. She knew how much Lily disliked James' constant advances on her and Sirius' never-ending pranks. Olivia was still very close to the redhead, and the two were constantly finding time to hang out; plus, they still lived in the same dorm room together.

"Poor Moony was made prefect too." Sirius said with a chuckle.

Olivia smiled at the mention of Remus' nickname. Remus' story was probably the most fascinating of all out of the group. Back when they were just first years, Olivia became concerned about Remus as the school year progressed. He had become ill quite frequently, and even his parents' health had declined significantly, causing Remus to have to travel home on occasions to take care of them. It was a miracle that Remus was able to keep his excellent grades up to par. Olivia had approached him to make sure he was alright, but he didn't really like to talk about it. Eventually, Olivia became worried enough to ask Sirius and James about him. Before she knew it, a full blown investigation had begun, and the three friends dedicated their entire first year to finding out what Remus was keeping from them. The answer came one full moon night when they followed Madam Pomfrey under James' invisibility cloak as she guided Remus to a hidden passage located beneath the Whomping Willow. The three friends knew they were going to find out what was going on when they took that he was supposedly visiting his sick mother into consideration. To make a long story short, it wasn't long before they figured out that Remus was, without a doubt, a werewolf.

As the three shocked friends made their way back to the common room that night, they couldn't decide what to do with the information that they had wanted so desperately. They were worried about Remus' reaction to their knowing of this problem of his that could very possibly get him expelled if leaked to the general population at Hogwarts. In the end, they knew that he was their friend, and he would remain their friend no matter what, so they decided to approach him. Olivia shuddered at the memories from that night. Although Remus was furious with them following him, Olivia could distinctly remember the look of overwhelming sadness in his eyes. He truly believed that they were going to shun him for his lycanthropy.

Olivia's eyes watered just thinking about the look on Remus' face that night. Only after hours of convincing Remus that they thought nothing less of him, did he actually start to believe them. Eventually, Peter was allowed in on the secret, and the three Marauders, plus Olivia, were sworn to silence by Dumbledore himself after being summoned to his office. Since then, Olivia thought that things were going much better for Remus. Sure, he was still extremely self-conscious about his "furry little problem", as James and Sirius liked to call it, but he now knew that he had friends that would stand by him no matter what.

* * *

><p>Remus made his way down the corridor to the cabin his friends were in after leaving the prefect meeting. He would only be able to stay for a little while before he had to begin his duties of monitoring the hallways for any signs of problems. He sighed as he thought about the year to come. Sure, he was happy that he had the opportunity to be named prefect; honored, really. But he also knew how hard it was going to be trying to perform his disciplinary duties while being best friends with the biggest pranksters Hogwarts had ever seen.<p>

_Those two will be the death of me._

Remus eventually made it the cabin where his friends were and reached for the handle. He began sliding the door open, and heard the familiar peels of beautiful, bell-like laughter. As he stepped into the cabin, he was met with a high pitched squeal.

"REMUS!"

Before he even was fully inside the compartment, Remus was attacked by a small blur of wavy brown hair.

Startled, Remus looked down and realized that Olivia was latched around his midsection. He looked over her head with his mouth hanging open and saw that James and Sirius were both watching the pair with identical faces of amusement and silent snickering.

Feeling his cheeks flush at the enthusiastic greeting, Remus reached around and returned Olivia's embrace gently. "Hi, Liv." He said with a small grin.

Stepping back, she looked up at him with a dazzling smile. Over the years, Olivia had become quite the popular girl at school, and not only because she was such good friends with the Marauders; most of her popularity was due to her becoming so beautiful. At five-foot four, Olivia was known not only for her kind personality, but also for her dark, wavy hair that had grown to end in soft curls at her mid-back. Her piercing blue eyes looked up at Remus full of happiness and excitement at his finally coming to see them.

"It's so good to see you! James and Sirius told me you made prefect! Congratulations! That's fantastic! How did the meeting go?"

Sirius cut in before Remus answered. "Oi! About time you came 'round, Moony." He yelled from his prone position on the seat.

Remus stepped inside the cabin and shut the door behind him. "It was ok." Remus responded evasively. He knew that, although Olivia was proud of him, his fellow Marauders didn't exactly approve of his new position as a disciplinary figure. "I did find out that I can assign detentions as well as take away and award house points."

James' face lit up excitedly while Sirius sprang up into a sitting position with a malicious grin on his face. The two pranksters turned and looked at each other and Remus noticed their smiles broadening.

"This is bloody brilliant! Those slimy Slytherins won't stand a chance at winning the House Cup this year." James exclaimed smugly as Remus took a seat beside Sirius.

Remus merely nodded at James as he flew into plans to have Slytherin's house points in the negative by the end of the school year. Honestly, Remus wasn't excited about having to discipline the students during the year. Most people understood that he was relatively shy, only being able to truly open up and relax around the other Marauders and Olivia. The group of friends knew that Remus' lycanthropy was the major contributing factor to his shy nature, and they made a point of constantly wrapping him in a blanket of acceptance and brotherly love. As Remus looked around at the laughing figures of three of his best friends, he had no doubt in his mind that he had the best friends in the world.

Remus was brought out of his thoughts as the compartment door slid open and Lily stepped through, giving Olivia a quick wave.

James straightened up immediately and ran a hand through his hair-something he seemed to always do when Lily was around.

"Why hello there, Evans. How's the most beautiful girl on the train fairing today?"

"Gee, thanks, James." Olivia muttered from behind her textbook.

James gave her a quick wink before turning his attention back to the redheaded prefect at the compartment door.

To Sirius' amusement, Lily promptly ignored James' greeting, and instead, turned to Remus.

"Hey Remus, I'm about to start patrolling. You almost ready?"

"Sure. Let me just get my things together, and I'll join you in a moment."

Remus began gathering his robes as Lily slipped out of the compartment. As soon as the door clicked, Sirius gave a loud snort of laughter.

"Nice going, Prongs. You've really got Evans drooling over you with that one, mate."

James threw Sirius a glare and began sulking in his corner of the compartment. Suddenly, Sirius stopped laughing and turned to Remus solemnly.

"Wait a minute. Why wasn't I chosen for prefect?"

All three of the friends, with the exception of Sirius, burst into fits of laughter.

"What?" Sirius yelled over his friends' laughter. "I think I should've had a chance just like everyone else!"

"YOU?" Olivia gasped over her laughter. "...be prefect?"

"What's wrong with me being prefect?"

Remus' laughter subsided enough that he was able to form a reply for his friend. "Prefects are supposed to maintain order."

"And you can't remember a day without detention." Olivia finished.

"I can stay out of trouble."

The compartment burst into laughter once again as the absurd words left the Marauder's mouth. Sirius' face morphed into an annoyed scowl.

"Last year, I didn't even get into that much trouble."

Olivia did have to admit that was true. Although he and James' escapades had in no way, shape, or form, decreased in frequency, she did have to admit that their abilities at not getting caught had increased exponentially.

As Remus rose to go find Lily, the door of the compartment opened again to reveal Peter. His arms were loaded down with numerous different treats and pastries.

"Good Lord, Wormtail. Did you buy the whole trolley?" Sirius said with a snort.

"I'm hungry!" Peter whined.

Peter carried his food over and drooped everything into the seat that Remus had just vacated. He immediately began tearing into multiple wrappings and shoving the various candies into his mouth. Olivia cringed at the boy's completely barbaric behavior and turned back to her book to avoid having to witness the chubby boy's gorging.

"Well, I'm going to go and find Lily. I'll guess I'll see you lot at the Feast then, yeah?"

"Yeah, sure. Be sure to make sure Evans skips this cabin when you are on your patrols!" Sirius replied with a firm look.

Remus chuckled. "I'll try. See you later."

* * *

><p>The feast was, as always, spectacular. Olivia really enjoyed seeing all of her Gryffindor friends again and being inside the familiar walls of Hogwarts. After the feast, everyone went to the common room to relax and catch up on what everyone had been doing over the summer.<p>

"I can't believe you got to spend the entire summer in Greece!" Margaret practically squealed to Olivia. "And you didn't hardly write to me at all over the break!" She added with a slight pout.

Margaret was one of Olivia and Lily's roommates. She was a kind girl, with sandy blonde hair and hazel eyes. Olivia had always got along well enough with Margaret, although Olivia knew the girl was a slightly shallow, and had the reputation of being a bit loose.

"Greece was great, but I really did miss being able to use magic, and being around family for two months almost drove me absolutely bonkers."

Everyone's head turned as the portrait hole swept open to reveal a very worn-out looking Remus. Olivia looked at Remus with sympathetic eyes.

"Rough day?"

Remus gave her a small smile. "You have no idea." He trudged up the stairs to take his outer robes off and came back down with a white button up shirt and black trousers.

James looked up at the tired werewolf. "So, Moony. Thinking of giving up your pretty badge already?"

Margaret turned to James with a questionable expression. "What is up with you lot? Why do you all call each other such random names?"

All four Marauder's turned to each other with a knowing smirk, before Sirius turned back to Margaret with a lopsided grin.

"Sorry, love. Official Marauder business. I'm afraid we aren't able to provide that information as of yet. But don't feel badly, even Olivia here has no idea why our names are significant to us. That's just the way works-everyone has secrets."

Olivia turned her face to cover the giggle of laughter that was threatening to erupt from her mouth. In actuality, she did, indeed, know exactly why the friends had such weird nicknames. She also knew the specifics to their dirty little secret. She could only imagine the gossip that would ensue if the students knew that three of the school's most eligible bachelors were illegal animagi.

Olivia bit back another snort of laughter as Sirius glanced at her with a smug grin. If only he knew that she had known of their little secret since the middle of third year. It wasn't really that hard to figure out once she realized that they were acting a bit strangely. After they found out about Remus' furry little problem, the three remaining Marauder's threw themselves into research to learn anything and everything they could about his condition. During this period of research, Sirius happened to run across a useful bit of information that explained that wizards that were in animagus form while engaging a werewolf were not susceptible to its disease if bitten. This small piece of knowledge eventually snowballed into the three friends developing a plan to become animagi in order to help Remus along with his transformations in the Shrieking Shack during the full moon.

Smiling with pride at her three friends' loyalty to Remus, Olivia continued to think about the point in which she found out about their success. It had been back at the end of fourth year. She knew that the three Marauder's were up to something, so she decided to find out. During Potions one day, she overheard the friends discussing sneaking out to the Forbidden Forest after curfew to test out their new abilities, so obviously, Olivia took advantage of her eavesdropping and followed them outside after curfew. Needless to say, it wasn't hard to figure out that James was named "Prongs" due to his animagus form being that of a stag and Sirius was named "Padfoot" due to his form being that of a shaggy, black, dog. Peter's situation tended to bring mixed emotions to Olivia. Although she was extremely impressed with him for being able to accomplish the exceptionally difficult bit of magic that was required to find an animagus form, she was slightly saddened for Peter because of his form. Peter was named "Wormtail" because he took the form of a large, fuzzy, rat.

Olivia glanced around the room, watching the Marauders joke and returned Sirius' grin with a wicked smirk of her own. Sirius narrowed his eyes, as if trying to read what was going through Olivia's mind.

_Oh, if you only knew._

Olivia smiled to herself as she realized that, if she had anything to say about it, the Marauders were going to have to be thinking of a name to be giving her soon. What the four boys didn't know was that, soon after she had discovered their achieved animagus status, she had started researching in order to achieve her own animagus form. It was the summer after her fourth year before she was actually able to start physically attempting her transformation, but she was proud to know that she had finally achieved her it only three weeks previous.

At first, she had been terrified of what her form might actually be. She was sure that she didn't want to end up transforming into something like Peter's rat form or another animal that she considered less than admirable. But in the end, as she looked into the mirror in the room she was staying in over the summer, she was exceptionally pleased with her transformation.

The best part about achieving her animagus form was the fact that the boys had no idea, and she was extremely excited about being able to shove her own secret into Sirius Black's arrogant face.

Olivia was brought back from her thoughts by a pillow hitting her square in the face.

"Bullseye!" James yelled, grinning madly.

"You couldn't have just called my name, could you?"

"We've been trying to get your attention for the past five minutes, love, but you've just been sitting there with a goofy grin on your face. You know, you've got to stop daydreaming about me like this. If you want to snog me, just ask. No one will think any less of you."

Olivia rolled her eyes with a sigh at Sirius' arrogance. "Thanks, but no thanks. I believe I'd rather have a go at the Giant Squid." She added with a chuckle.

Remus snorted with laughter as Sirius glared at Olivia.

"Oh, I was just kidding, Siri. You know I love you." This seemed to warm the handsome Marauder up a bit.

Olivia leaned back and stretched her slender figure, a large yawn escaping from her.

"Well, I think I'm about to hit the sack. See you lot in the morning."

Olivia stood up and began hugging and kissing each Marauder on the cheek. It had become a tradition back in second year after James had gotten sick, leaving Olivia to be his main caretaker. After giving a sick James a hug and kiss before going to bed, Sirius had insisted on her giving him one, then Peter had followed, and then Remus. Ever since then, it had been a pre-bedtime tradition.

She got to Sirius who, predictably, tried to turn his head to get a full-on lips kiss. Olivia was quite used to this, and normally just opted for kissing the cheeky Marauder on the forehead.

Remus watched as Olivia walked to each of his best friends, giving them her love as she always did before she went to bed. He felt his face heating up as it became closer to his turn to receive her attentions.

_Why am I so nervous? It's not like this is the first time she's done this._

He couldn't explain his nerves as Olivia made her way over to him. Being a gentleman, he stood up to allow her to give him her goodnight affections. She smiled up at him broadly.

"Goodnight Olivia." He said politely.

He felt a jolt run through his body as the petite girl wrapped her arms around his midsection. He wrapped his long arms around her and returned her embrace firmly. Olivia stepped back as she always did and waited for him to bend his six-foot three stature down to receive his kiss.

He gave her a small smile and leaned down to her level. Her smile broadened and she placed a small kiss on his cheek. Remus felt the jolt increase ten-fold as it coursed throughout his body.

"Goodnight Remus. Sweet dreams."

Remus watched as she turned and began making her way up the stairs to the girl's dormitory. He felt the heat rise in his face as he turned back to his smirking friends.

"You randy, little bugger, you totally have the hots for Liz!" Sirius said while waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"What are going on about, Padfoot?" Remus replied as he felt the heat in his face intensify.

"I don't know, Moony. Padfoot might be onto something here. We see the way you look at her."

"James, Sirius. I have no idea what either of you are talking about, so just drop it." Remus replied firmly, feeling a little embarrassed.

Sirius snorted. "Uh, oh Prongs. We'd better stop before our little prefect here assigns us a detention."

Remus gave a exasperated sigh.

"I'm going to head to bed as well. See you guys in the morning."

With that, Remus started towards the boy's dormitory, hearing the laughter of his friends as he trudged up the stairs. He walked into the bathroom, changing quickly into his t-shirt and cotton pajama bottoms. As he made his way back towards his bed, he couldn't help but to think about the things his friends had said about his alleged feelings for Olivia. Surely there was no way he actually had feelings for her, right? I mean, she had been his best female friend for the past five years. He wasn't harboring any romantic feelings for her, right?

_No, of course not. She's just one of my best friends, that's all._

But lying down on his bed, he knew that, deep down, (extremely deep down) he was fighting a losing battle in denying his affections for a certain brown haired, blue eyed, Gryffindor.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Be sure to R&amp;R! Thanks!<em>**


	3. A Close Call

**A/N: Here's a new chapter for everyone. Be sure to R&R!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3: A Close Call<strong>

A few weeks later, Olivia walked through the corridors of Hogwarts with a spring in her step. Being back at Hogwarts was like coming home after a long holiday. It just felt right. She was also feeling the brimming excitement for the upcoming weekend when the first quidditch game of the season would occur. As always, the opening match of the term would be Gryffindor versus Slytherin. It was Friday, and tensions were running high between the two houses as it was the eve of what everyone knew was going to be one of the season's most exciting matches.

Olivia turned a corner and began making her way down to the second floor Transfiguration classroom. She hurried into the classroom just as McGonagall signaled for the beginning of class to start and quickly took a seat between Sirius and Remus.

"Good morning class. Today, we will be attempting a bit of advanced Transfiguration. On your desks in front of you, you will each see a goblet. In today's lesson, each of you will take a turn in attempting to transfigure your goblet into a mouse, and then back again to its original goblet form. Refer to your textbooks if needed."

Olivia turned and began preparing their goblet as McGonagall added a final note.

"Remember! Foolishness will not be tolerated in this classroom." She said sternly, giving a pointed look to James and Sirius. "Begin."

McGonagall began walking around the classroom to monitor everyone's progress. Olivia turned and gave a smile to her two partners.

Sirius gave Olivia a teasing smile. "Well, it's nice of you to join us, Liv." He continued as his eyes flashed with laughter. "Just because you're a pro at Transfiguration doesn't mean you get to show up whenever you want."

Olivia rolled her eyes at her friend. "I'll admit that I may have overslept a bit this morning, but in my defense, I didn't get a lot of sleep last night."

Actually, Olivia didn't get any sleep the previous night. In the past few weeks, she had taken to sneaking out near the Forbidden Forest after curfew once every week to work on becoming comfortable with her animagus form. She was getting quite excited about revealing her secret to the Marauders, but she wanted to make sure that she was absolutely comfortable in her form before showing her friends. After last night, she knew that she was really getting the hang of existing as an animagus.

"Dreaming about me again, eh?"

Olivia snorted at Sirius' arrogance. "Of course, darling."

Remus felt an uncomfortable tightness in his chest as Sirius flirted with Olivia unabashedly as he always did.

Sirius grinned as Olivia giggled at the gorgeous Marauder's cockiness, but noticed a frown form of Remus' face.

"Are you alright, Remus?"

Remus started at the sudden sound of his name. "Huh? Oh. Yes, of course. I'm quite alright. Ready to begin with the assignment?" He felt slightly embarrassed of letting his emotions getting the better of him.

"Yes, ok. Sirius, do you want to have a go at it?" Olivia asked while gesturing to the sleeping porcupine.

"Err...no, no. Ladies first. We are proper gentlemen, Liv. It wouldn't be good form for us blokes to go first." He replied with a lopsided grin.

Olivia rolled her eyes again at Sirius' blatant attempt at getting out of the transfiguration first.

"So, I'm assuming you didn't read the textbook?" She asked with a knowing grin. Remus chuckled beside her.

"I'm positive that I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm just being a gentleman."

Olivia sighed and began the assignment. Of course, she ended up demonstrating the proper wand movements to Sirius and guided him through the entire transfiguration. After the three friends all had successfully completed the assignment, Olivia turned to her two friends.

"So, are you guys ready for the big match this weekend?

"We were born ready. Those Slytherins won't know what's hit them after we get through with them. Right, Moony?"

Remus smiled excitedly. "Of course!"

"Speaking of the nasty gits, that gives me an idea."

"Why do I get the feeling that you are about to do something incredibly stupid?" Olivia asked, slightly worried.

"Now, don't you worry about a thing, my pretty little lioness. I'll be right back."

And with that said, Sirius scurried off to the other side of the room where the Slytherins were working while McGonagall's attention was turned to a table a few rows over.

Olivia turned to Remus with a crooked smile. "He never will learn, will he?"

"I gave up on him or James learning anything years ago." Remus replied with a chuckle.

"I'm so excited for the match tomorrow. I know you and the boys will be brilliant." Olivia gave Remus a bright smile, but then sobered quickly. "That reminds me; I'm going to go to the library after dinner tonight to try and get a jump on our Defense essay that's due on Monday. I figured our weekend would be relatively busy with the match and all. Would you care to join me? I could definitely use your expertise on the subject."

Remus felt his stomach do a flop at the opportunity of getting to spend some time alone with the girl that he had grown to care about. He knew without even thinking that wild horses wouldn't be able to drag him away from the library tonight.

Olivia misinterpreted Remus' silence and backtracked immediately. "I mean, you absolutely do not have to come if you don't want to. I know that you and the boys are getting ready for the game tomorrow, so I'm sure you have better things that you probably want to do with your time, so just forget that I even said anything, ok?"

Remus looked at Olivia with a grin while chuckling quietly.

"Liv, I'd love to join you. It'll be good to go ahead and get the assignment out of the way. I'll meet you in the library around seven?"

"That sounds great."

Olivia and Remus locked eyes and Olivia gave him a small, shy, smile. Remus felt the now familiar flush of his face as he felt the silence between the pair. He opened his mouth to say something when they were suddenly interrupted.

"BANG!"

The pair jumped and flipped around to the Slytherin side of the room where the commotion was coming from. Olivia jumped onto the bench of her desk as she saw hundreds of mice crawling all over the room. She was not surprised to see Sirius running from the opposite side of the room with a malicious grin on his face.

McGonagall's voice thundered above all of the shrieks as everyone tried to get out of the way of the little animals scurrying everywhere. "Ten points from Slytherin, Mr. Travers. I will not tolerate foolishness in my classroom."

Olivia heard Sirius cover a snicker at hearing the Slytherin taking the blame for the mice. She looked over at the Slytherin table who was looking at the Gryffindors with a look of pure loathing.

McGonagall was trying to vanish the mice as everyone screamed and ran away from the mice. Eventually, she got frustrated, and just dismissed class.

Everyone bolted for the door as soon as class was dismissed, with some of the girls squealing as they came into close contact with the offending rodents. Olivia continued to stand on her bench, watching the little creatures scurry all under her. She had a weird thing with mice. She just absolutely could not stand them. She guessed it would be considered a phobia of hers. Even the thought of Peter's animagus form gave her the creeps.

Remus and Sirius turned when they realized that Olivia was not following them out of the classroom.

"Olivia! Come on!" Sirius yelled.

"No way! I'm not getting near those little buggers!"

Sirius turned to Remus and nudged him in the side. "Here's your chance, Moony." He muttered quietly. Seeing the confused look on his friend's face, he rolled his eyes with a sigh. "Go over there and get her!" He hissed under his breath. "This is your chance to save her from the horrible beasts!"

"The horrible beasts?" Remus asked sarcastically.

"Well, maybe not beasts, but she is obviously a damsel in distress."

"I don't know, Padfoot."

"Well, if you're not interested saving her, I will." Sirius said with a challenging grin.

Sirius turned and began to go and retrieve Olivia, when Remus grabbed his elbow and yanked him back. "NO!" He hissed. Sirius look at his friend's flushing face with a knowing smirk and chuckled. "James and I knew you liked her!"

"Shut up you silly twit!"

Remus' embarrassment only added to Sirius' entertainment, and he continued to laugh at his friend's expense. "Well, go on. Go and get your woman."

Remus rolled his eyes and called out to Olivia. "I'm coming to get you, Liv."

"Ok!" Olivia replied with her eyes scanning the floor suspiciously.

Remus made his way through the throngs of mice and trotted over the desk on which Olivia was standing. He held out his arms in front of him and gave the girl a bright smile.

"Your chariot awaits, my lady."

Olivia giggled. "And a splendid chariot it is, my fine sir."

Remus felt his heart soar at making her laugh. He made a mental note to try and do that more often. Olivia looked at his outstretched arms with a raised eyebrow. "Are you sure you'll be able to hold me? I don't want to hurt you."

Remus rolled his eyes. "Come on, Liv."

Olivia shrugged and hopped into his waiting arms, wrapping her arms around his neck, with Remus' right arm looped under her knees and his left holding her waist and supporting her back. The wolf inside him added to his strength, making the petite girl in his arms practically weightless.

Remus could feel his heart pounding against his chest. Their closeness to each other sent an electric shock straight through him. It wasn't helping that she was smiling sweetly at him as he tip-toed through the chaos of the classroom.

Olivia was giddy inside. She couldn't deny how very right it felt being in Remus' arms like this. It was as if she was made to fit perfectly into his arms. She could feel her skin tingling as his strong arms held her effortlessly.

Once the pair reached the corridor outside the classroom door, Remus, rather reluctantly, put Olivia down beside Sirius. James and Peter walked over as Olivia straightened out her robes. She turned to Sirius with a questioning look.

"I'm excited to hear how you managed that."

James perked up. "That was you?"

Sirius gave James a knowing smirk. "It was a cinch, Prongs. Just a quick Confundus to Travers, and ugly swot did the rest for me."

"Brilliant!" James replied enthusiastically.

"Y-Yes, P-Padfoot. It was b-brilliant." Peter stuttered. Olivia rolled her eyes at his blatant hero worship.

Olivia looked over to Remus who was chuckling quietly. She gave a smirk and shook her head at the group of boys. Remus' smile broadened as he spoke to Olivia.

"Might I escort you to the common room?" He asked pleasantly. "I did just save your life." He added rather cheekily.

Olivia laughed at the exaggeration. "Of course. How could I deny the one who just saved my life?" She said dramatically.

Olivia grabbed Remus' extended arm firmly and began walking back to the common room behind a laughing Sirius and James thinking that they would never grow up.

* * *

><p>Thankfully, the rest of the day passed quickly for Olivia, and in no time she was in the girls' dorm lying on her bed, thumbing through her Defense textbook while waiting for Lily, Mary, and Margaret to finish freshening up before they walked down to the Great Hall for dinner.<p>

"Hey Liv," Lily said to Olivia. "We are going to walk down to the lake after dinner. You want to come?"

Olivia looked up from her book. "Sorry, I can't. Remus and I are going to go down to the library, and he is going to help me with my DADA essay."

Lily and Margaret gave each other a knowing look.

Margaret sauntered over to Olivia suggestively. "Oh, you're going to the library with Remus, eh?" She said while waggling her eyebrows.

Olivia raised her eyebrows at the girl's odd behavior. "Um, yes. We are going to the library to do homework."

"Are you sure you aren't going for a special one-on-one tutoring session?"

"What?" Olivia retorted, still a little confused at what the girl was suggesting.

Lily laughed and explained to her best friend. "Oh honestly, Liv. She's asking if there is something going on between you and Remus." She said with a laugh.

"What? No! Of course not. We are just friends." Olivia cried as she realized what Margaret had been implying. "He's just the top of the class in that subject and I could really use the extra help."

Lily gave her friend a considering look. Olivia hated it when Lily looked at her like that. Most of the time, Lily could tell what was going on with her before she, herself, even knew.

_Stop acting so paranoid_, she told herself. It wasn't like she actually had a crush on the quiet Marauder, right?

_No, of course not_. She reasoned to herself. _He's just very good at Defense, and I really need the extra help. It's not my fault that he's kind, smart, funny, and attractive_.

Olivia gave an exasperated sigh at the fact that she had just admitted to thinking Remus as being kind, smart, funny, and attractive. She hopped off the bed as the other girls announced that they were ready to go, and they began making there way out of the tower towards the Great Hall.

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><p>After dinner, Olivia decided to go ahead and start making her way towards the library. It was only six-thirty, so she knew that she had time before Remus would show up, and decided to take the long route. She leisurely walked around the third floor, smiling a greeting at the occasional ghost or student that she met along the corridors.<p>

As she began getting closer to the library, she found her thoughts drifting towards what the girls had said about Remus. She knew that she couldn't deny that she had begun to feel slightly different about him lately, and she was absolutely thrilled that she was going to be able to spend time alone with him tonight, but she just didn't know if she actually had a crush on the sandy-haired Marauder. Plus, they had been friends since first year, and she didn't want to ruin their friendship if she decided to try and pursue a relationship with him. Not to mention, she was sure that he saw her as nothing more than something like a little sister.

She gave an audible sigh at her confused feelings. Granted, Olivia was not new to having relationships. She couldn't be one of the most attractive girls in their year and not know a bit about being in a relationship. She normally had quite a few invitations on Hogsmeade weekends, but she prided herself on staying true to her high standards. She would only accept an invitation if she thought that the boy asking her had potential to become someone she would like to have as a boyfriend. She never was one for the whole "casual dating" scene like Sirius. Occasionally, the Hogsmeade dates would grow into boyfriends, but it was never anything that lasted for an extended period of time. After all, she was best friends with the biggest pranksters in school. Keeping a boyfriend was difficult for her when the Marauders were constantly running them off.

She sighed again as she realized that she was nowhere closer in figuring out her feelings. She began attempting to clear her head of the silly thoughts as she turned the final corner and slammed right into a large body.

"Oof! Oh I'm sorry! I wasn't paying attention to where I was walki..." Olivia's sentence faded out as she realized that she had run into two very large Slytherin boys. She didn't know who they were, which meant that they were probably seventh years, but she didn't like the malicious grins that had formed on their faces.

"Oi! Look at what we have here, Wilkes. Seems like we've stumbled up on a little lion cub. Are you lost, little one?"

Olivia realized that she was in quite a bit of trouble. She was on a deserted hallway, by herself, and it was dark. She watched with a face that she knew showed her disgust as the other boy turned to her.

"This Gryffindor princess must've lost her way. Looking for a bit of entertainment, maybe?" The other large boy said as his eyes raked greedily over her figure before looking back to her face for an answer.

Olivia knew that she needed to get out of there, and she racked her brain to figure out what curses to use to get the two boys away from her.

She froze as the first boy ran a finger down her face to her neck. "Why don't you come along with us. We'll be sure to take good care of you."

"Don't touch me." Olivia snapped, while still frozen against the cold, stone wall of the corridor.

"A bit feisty, are we? Don't worry. We know how to handle the feisty ones." The first boy laughed as he began advancing on Olivia.

Olivia, feeling extreme panic coursing through her body, did the only thing that popped into her mind. As the large boy swept down to attack her lips with his own, Olivia thrust her knee as hard as he could into the boy's groin.

"ARGH!"

In an instant, Olivia had whipped her wand out and had it pointed at the second boy. The boy on the ground rolled around groaning before regaining his composure and shakily getting back to his feet.

"You stupid mudblood. You're going to pay for that."

"Olivia?"

Olivia felt a surge of relief ripple through her as she heard the familiar voice that she had not heard since beginning the school term.

"Snape?" One of the boys wrinkled his nose in disgust as he turned to face the dark haired boy who stood with his wand out, looking at his two housemates suspiciously. He took in Olivia's terrified expression and made his way to put himself between her and her two would-be attackers.

"You know the halfblood trash?" The other boy asked as he looked at Olivia. The anger that she felt at the insult to her friend allowed her to get her voice back.

"Excuse me?" She snapped as coldly as she could.

She saw the anger return to the boy whom she had kneed as he began to advance on her again. Severus immediately stepped forward and put his wand into his face.

"Leave. Now." He said with as much malice as Olivia had ever seen.

"Why should we listen to you? We saw her first."

Olivia didn't see what Severus did to frighten them away, but after a moment of murderous glares, the two older Slytherins gave a final sneer at Olivia and began moving away.

"But..." Olivia began, angered that the two thugs were about to get away with calling her friend such a horrid name.

"Leave it, Olivia." Severus cut her off. He grabbed her wrist and began dragging her down the corridors until they were in a more well-lit area.

"What did you think you were doing! How could you be so careless as to getting yourself into a situation like that?"

Although he was yelling at her, Olivia could plainly see the worry that he showed in his eyes.

"I was just going to the library to meet Remus. I had a little extra time, so I took the long route." She said with her head bowed down, ashamed at getting herself into such a dangerous predicament. She could feel the tears brimming at her eyes as she looked up at her friend.

Severus sighed as he saw her tears. "I'm sorry for yelling. You just have no idea how worried I was when I happened to walk in on you being held against the wall at wandpoint. I just care about you, Liv."

Olivia took this as him no longer being mad, and launched herself at him in a tight hug. Severus, being friends with the girl for so long, had expected the embrace and wrapped his arms around the frightened girl comfortingly. He pulled back from her after a moment and place his hands on her shoulders firmly.

"Please just do me a favor, and try to be more careful next time. You're a muggleborn, and although you know that I don't mind, other Slytherins will. It's just not safe for you to be wandering alone at night during these times."

Olivia nodded and wiped her treacherous tears away. "I understand, and I promise I'll be more careful from now on."

Severus gave her a small smile and tucked her under his arm. "Good. Now, will you allow me to escort you to the library?"

"I would be honored." Olivia replied with a playful grin.

With that said, the two friends began the journey to the library. Severus glanced down at his friend as they walked along the corridor. Not many people even knew that they spoke to each other, but after Olivia had stood up to Black back in their very first year, he was touched by her loyalty, and made a point to continue their friendship. She had stuck by him through thick and thin, which is more than he could say for Lily, who had basically abandoned him after they got into a fight about his Slytherin friends back in their second year. She began to spend less and less time with Severus as that year had progressed, which really saddened him, but, through everything, Severus knew that he could always count on Olivia.

It was hard to actually spend time with his friend though, due to her blood status and him having to live among the purebloods in Slytherin. After their third year, when Severus had been cursed and hexed constantly for his association with Olivia, the pair had discussed keeping their friendship a secret in order to keep Severus from harm. Ever since then, the two had made a point not to interact with each other unless they were absolutely alone.

The fact that they hardly ever had time to hang out together didn't mean that Severus cared for his friend any less, and when he had stumbled up on his fellow housemates attempting to assault one of his oldest friends, Severus had felt absolute fury flood through him. He had always been protective over her in an older brother sort of way, and he didn't even want to think about what would have happened if he wouldn't have gotten there when he did.

Severus was drawn out of his thoughts as he and Olivia reached the doors that led to the library. Olivia turned and gave Severus another tight hug.

"Thank you so much, Sev." She murmured against his chest. "I don't know what I would have done without you."

Severus smiled as he placed a small kiss on top of Olivia's head. "Don't worry about it. Just try to be more careful next time, yes?"

She smiled at him brightly. "Of course."

Severus turned on his heel and began walking back down the corridor as Olivia quickly slipped through the library doors.

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><p>By the time she finally arrived to the table at which she usually occupied, Remus was already there. She glanced at her watch and realized that it was five after seven. She was late. She walked up to the table after ensuring that her face did not show any signs of crying. Remus looked up at the sound of her approach.<p>

"Hi, Remus. I'm so sorry I'm late."

"That's alright. I only just got here. Everything alright?" He knew that it was not like her to be late and noticed the slight flush on her cheeks.

"Yes, everything is fine. I was just held up for a bit."

Remus gave her a calculating look, but then shrugged. Olivia walked around the table to take the seat beside the werewolf. Remus turned to her with a pleasant smile.

"So, are you ready to start our essays?"

"Sure."

Olivia reached into her bag and pulled out a piece of parchment. The assignment was supposed to be a foot of parchment on the effects of the Imperius Curse and ways of defending yourself against it. Soon, all that could be heard was the scratching of quills as the two began writing their essays, with Remus helping Olivia along when she got hung up on a specific aspects of the Unforgivable.

"So being placed under the Imperius Curse doesn't hurt at all?"

"No. It's actually supposed to give the victim a rather calm and euphoric feeling. But because this curse if performed with such powerful, dark, magic, it very well may leave irreversible biological damage on the person it is being used against."

Olivia smiled. "How is it that you know everything?"

Remus chuckled. "I've just always had a fascination with Defense Against the Dark Arts. I like to know how to defend myself against the dark things that are out there, and I discovered that I have something of a natural aptitude for it."

"That's for sure. What do you want to do after graduation?"

Remus frowned as he tried to choose his words carefully. He didn't particularly like talking about his lycanthropy. "I'm not sure yet. It's going to be difficult for someone like me to find a job, so I'll just have to wait and see, I guess."

Olivia furrowed her eyebrows. "Someone like you?"

"Liv, come on. You know what I am. And you know how wizarding society looks down on people who are considered less than human."

Olivia narrowed her eyes as her mouth set into a frown. "What you become once a month is no reflection of who you are the rest of the time." She stated firmly, but then her face softened. "I personally think you would be a great teacher. I know how much you have helped me over the years with Defense. I wouldn't be doing half as well now if I didn't have you."

Remus leaned back in shock as Olivia's words registered. Besides the Marauder's, he had never had someone who accepted his lycanthropy so fully. He, himself, had even thought of trying to teach after graduation. It did seem like the only occupation that would allow him to work with his condition, and he really did have a passion for Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Remus turned as he heard Olivia address him in a small voice.

"Does it hurt?"

Remus sighed. "Very much. Every time I transform, it feels as though I might die from the pain."

He looked over at her and felt a warmth spread through him as he saw the look of complete and total worry in her eyes.

"I'm so sorry Remus. I can't even imagine what you have to go through each month. You're so brave."

He looked at her in complete surprise, before blushing and glancing down at the floor. Unable to look at her, he told her the truth about himself.

"Olivia, I'm not brave." He admitted. "I'm scared every month. I'm scared of the pain I know will come. I'm scared that one day I'll hurt someone, or even kill them, and I won't even remember doing it."

He sighed and looked towards the window. "There's a reason why werewolves are hated amongst normal people, Liv. We are dangerous, and we can't be trusted." He looked and saw her vigorously shaking her head in disagreement, but continued anyways. "There is nothing brave about someone like me."

Remus continued looking at the ground, willing the tears that he could feel pricking his eyes away, so he was startled when he felt her arms wrap tightly around his shoulders. He glanced over and saw her standing beside his chair, her own tears brimming in her eyes. He hesitated a moment, a little caught off guard by the sudden rush of warmth that was spreading through him from her contact, but then put his arms around her waist.

When she pulled away from him, he was startled to see her normally kind features contort in frustration.

"Remus Lupin, you listen to me." She said angrily. "You did nothing to deserve any of this, and yet you don't complain. You simply accept it. You are the kindest, most gentle and pleasant person I know, and I trust you with my life. I know that I can always count on you." Remus could feel his mouth hanging open as she continued her impassioned speech, locking her eyes with his. "And I think you're the most amazing person I know."

She still had her arms around his neck and his arms were still around her waist. She put her face in his chest as she hugged him again and sighed. "I just don't like it when you talk like that, Remus. Please don't put yourself down again."

He could smell the lavender and vanilla from the shampoo she used in her hair when he spoke again. "I just can't help feeling like a monster sometimes." He murmured quietly.

"You are not a monster, Remus. I don't think you're a monster, and James, Sirius, and Peter don't think you're a monster. We are your friends, and we love you. So promise me that you won't continue putting yourself down. I care about you too much and I don't like to see you with this mindset."

He allowed himself to bury his face in her hair. "I'll try, Liv. I promise." He managed to choke out, trying to hide the tears that began brimming in his eyes at her heartfelt confession. Honestly, he knew that he would promise her anything right now anyways.

They broke apart, and he dropped his arms to his side. She gave him a broad smile.

"Come on." She said while taking his hand. "Let's get out of here. We are almost done with our essays anyways. Let's go see what the boys are up to." They gathered up their bags and began making their way out of the library.

Olivia noticed that she still was holding onto his hand as they walked down the corridors towards the common room. She was surprised to realize that she didn't really want to let it go. She realized that, whether it was the heartfelt words or the closeness they had experience in the library, she had a feeling that their friendship had just shifted into something completely new.

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><p><strong>So there it is! Be sure to R&amp;R! Thanks guys!<strong>


	4. Gryffindor vs Slytherin

_**A/N: Hey everyone! Here is the latest chapter upload! I saw on my profile that I had quite a few more hits, but absolutely no more reviews! So be sure to review on this chapter and let me know if you like it! Thanks!**_

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><p><strong>Chapter 4: Gryffindor vs. Slytherin<strong>

Olivia stepped out of the front doors the next day and felt the sunshine on her face. It was a perfect day for Quidditch, and she could feel the excitement in the air. She had met up with Lily, Margaret, and Mary, and the four girls were making their way to the quidditch pitch to support their house.

All four of the girls had painted maroon lions on their cheeks, and they each had on their Gryffindor scarves. As they neared the stairs, Olivia turned to the girls.

"I have to go and wish the boys good luck." Olivia said to the girls. Margaret raised an eyebrow. "It's tradition." She explained.

She broke away from the girls and hurried towards the locker room.

"Forgot something? Sirius' voice asked from behind her. She turned around to see Sirius, James, and Remus standing before her in their quidditch gear, grinning from ear to ear. They looked as if they were about to explode with excitement.

"I almost forgot to wish Gryffindor's best players good luck." Olivia said nonchalantly. "Have you seen them anywhere?" She added with a grin.

"Oh, ha ha." James said sarcastically.

Olivia stood on her toes in order to give James a kiss on the cheek. "Good luck, James." She continued standing on her toes to give Sirius a kiss. "Good luck, Sirius."

Olivia turned as she heard gasps come from the stairs beside the opening of the locker room. A group of Gryffindor girls were standing there, staring at them and looking green with envy. Olivia noticed that Lily was among the group, trying to pretend she had not seen Olivia kissing James.

Sirius turned back to Olivia and gave her a lopsided grin. "Thanks, Liv. Although who needs luck when you have as much skill as we do?"

Olivia rolled her eyes as she walked up to Remus. She stood on her toes, but, even then, he still had to lean down in order to allow her to kiss him on the cheek. "Good luck, Remus." He smiled broadly at the petite girl in front of him. "I know you'll be brilliant." She added with a sweet smile.

Remus felt the heat in his cheeks as he thought about one of Hogwart's most popular girls cheering for him. "Thanks, Liv."

"Hey, Evans!" James shouted at the group of girls near the stairs. "You want to come and wish me good luck too?"

Lily glared at him with a frown. "No." She said coldly.

"Aww, come on Evans. Do you want Gryffindor to lose today? Where is your house loyalty?"

Lily huffed and looked around for a moment before turning back to James. "Fine." She said irritably. She set her mouth into a firm line as she ground her teeth together. "Good luck, Potter." She managed to spit out.

James gave her a blinding smile and Olivia noticed the hint of red on Lily's cheeks as the redhead bolted for the stairs.

"Did you hear that! She wished me luck! I think she might finally be coming around."

Other girls that were gathered around the entrance to the locker room were shouting that they would wish him luck, but James just ignored them. He was too excited that he had convinced Lily to at least be civil to him.

"Liv, you'd better hurry up and get going." Sirius told Olivia. "You're going to miss James' first goal."

Olivia smiled at the three boys before turning around and making her way towards the stairs. She reached the top of the stands completely out of breath. _I've got to start working out._ She thought as she panted heavily.

"THE QUAFFLE IS RELEASED!" The announcer yelled into the microphone. Olivia looked over her shoulder and saw the Gryffindor and Slytherin players swerving through the air and quickly headed towards her seat. She bumped into a few people in her haste as she tried to maneuver and watch the match at the same time. Finally, she saw Lily and hurried over to her.

"It took you long enough, Liv. It's been a madhouse trying to save your seat." Lily said to her friend.

Olivia took her seat in between Lily and Margaret. Mary was sitting on the other side of Lily, with Peter on her other side.

"Well, I'm sorry that I almost passed out coming up the stairs." Olivia chuckled, still trying to get her breathing back to normal. She turned her head just in time to see James make the first goal for Gryffindor. The crowd went wild as he rode over the Gryffindor section in celebration.

"JAMES POTTER MAKES THE FIRST GOAL FOR GRYFFINDOR! THE SCORE IS TEN TO ZERO!" The announcer yelled.

Olivia watched as Slytherin took the quaffle and began making their way towards the Gryffindor goal posts. They were flying left and right trying to avoid the bludgers Sirius and the other beater were hurling at them. It was making Olivia feel a bit dizzy. She wasn't sure how the players were able to keep track of everything that was going on. Finally, the quaffle was intercepted by a Gryffindor chaser, and they were suddenly going the opposite direction. The chasers passed it back and forth until they finally threw it into James' waiting arms. He turned his broom and, like a shot, he was off towards the Slytherin goal posts.

"Come on, James!" Olivia shouted, feeling the anticipation build.

"ANOTHER GOAL FOR GRYFFINDOR!"

Olivia jumped from her seat. "Way to go!" She shouted excitedly.

James took another victory lap over the stands, waving his arms in attempt to get the crowd to cheer louder.

She noticed that Sirius hardly ever left James' side during the game. He was constantly hovering close to the messy haired boy, making sure that no rogue bludgers came anywhere close to him. Olivia smiled at this realization. Even on the quidditch pitch, they showed their loyalty to one another.

"SLYTHERIN MAKES THEIR FIRST GOAL OF THE GAME!" The Gryffindor stands groaned as the Slytherin section burst into applause.

Olivia looked above all of the players and noticed Remus circling the pitch slowly on his broom. He was scanning the area underneath him thoroughly searching for any sign of the snitch. She blushed as she caught herself thinking how handsome he was when he was so focused.

Her attention was brought back to the match as Gryffindor scored another goal.

"THE SCORE IS SIXTY TO FORTY, WITH GRYFFINDOR IN THE LEAD!" The announcer boomed at the crowd.

James continued to encourage the crowd to cheer after every goal. Olivia could tell he was trying to catch Lily's eye, but as hard as he was trying to catch the redhead's attention, Lily was trying equally as hard to ignore him. Only Olivia, being Lily's best friend, could see the sparkle of interest in the redhead's eyes as she watched James' acrobatic display.

"AND SLYTHERIN SCORES ANOTHER GOAL! THE TEAMS ARE NOW TIED SIXTY TO SIXTY!"

Slytherin had the quaffle once again, but, thanks to a well-placed bludger by Sirius, Gryffindor was able to intercept and were now advancing on the Slytherin goals.

"WOO HOO, SIRIUS!" Olivia shouted enthusiastically.

"THE CHASE FOR THE SNITCH HAS BEGUN!" The announcer cried.

Olivia watched anxiously as Remus and the Slytherin chaser flew high above the stadium, each with an arm extended. They swerved and dodged each other, frantically trying to be the first one to snag the elusive golden snitch.

"GO REMUS!" She cheered enthusiastically.

Everyone in the stadium was on their feet as the two seekers took a sharp downward turn and began to plummet straight at the ground, each refusing to be the first to pull out of the suicide dive. Olivia could feel her stomach drop as she silently willed Remus to pull his broom up to avoid being hurt. Eventually, the Slytherin seeker glanced over at Remus and, seeing the look of complete determination on the quiet Marauder's face, pulled his broom up, abandoning the chase for the snitch, hoping to avoid crashing into the ground. Remus, on the other hand, held a steady course.

As he was careening towards the ground at an alarming rate, Olivia let out a terrified cry.

"PULL UP, REMUS! PULL UP!"

Just as Olivia closed her eyes, knowing Remus' crash was inevitable, his hands closed around the tiny, golden snitch. He immediately jerked his broom up to avoid a head-on collision with the ground, but the back of his broom caught the ground as he pulled out of the dive, and he went crashing into the ground.

Olivia stood and gasped as she saw Remus roll across the grass of the pitch, finally coming to a rest on his back. James and Sirius were at his side immediately, checking to see the extent of the damage on the fallen Marauder. Everyone cringed in intense anticipation, waiting to see if the Gryffindor Seeker would be alright. Suddenly, to Olivia's relief, Remus stood up with the help of James and Sirius, the snitch in his hand held high above his head.

"REMUS LUPIN HAS CAUGHT THE SNITCH GRYFFINDOR WINS!"

The Gryffindor stands exploded with applause, and Remus made his way back to his broom to fly around the stadium in celebration with his teammates. Olivia looked over and saw Lily jumping and cheering along with the rest of the crowd, and laughed. She was happy to see her friend allowing herself to have a good time. She looked up at the team taking victory laps and noticed Remus waving at her. She smiled brightly back at him and gave a sigh of relief, thankful that he had not been injured.

"PARTY IN THE GRYFFINDOR COMMON ROOM!" A seventh year boy announced to the Gryffindor crowd. At once, everyone began making their way to the stairs, trying to hurry to get to the common room. Olivia slowly made her way down the stairs with the girls and Peter, finally reaching the castle a while later.

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><p>By the time they finally hurried through the portrait hole, there were already countless people setting up in the common room. Banners from the game were being hung everywhere, and there was already butterbeer and firewhiskey sitting out at a table that had been turned into a makeshift bar.<p>

Margaret turned to the other three girls. "I'm going to go up to the room to freshen up a bit."

"Me too." Lily said as Olivia and Mary nodded in agreement.

The four girls hurried up the stairs to change, trying to get back down before the party started. Olivia decided to put on jeans with a black, off the shoulders top that flowed loosely until it tightened at her hips. She reapplied her eyeshadow and mascara and was finally ready to go back down after fixing her hair into smooth, long, waves. She looked over to see Lily had changed into a pretty green top that brought out the color of her eyes.

"You ready?" Olivia asked.

"Yes. Let me just find my shoes."

Olivia nodded, but then asked. "So, are you going to talk to James?"

"What?" Lily's green eyes flew to Olivia's blue ones with a firm look. "No."

"Lil, all I'm asking is that you give him a chance. I think you would be surprised to see that he's not really the person you think he is."

"Oh, so he doesn't bully younger kids and play hundreds of stupid practical jokes on everyone?"

"Well, umm, yes." Olivia conceded sheepishly, "but I think he really cares about you."

Lily sighed. "I don't know Liv."

"I'm not saying marry him and have his babies. I'm just saying that you might be surprised if you actually gave him a chance to prove himself."

Lily glanced out the window for a few moments before looking back at her friend. "Alright. I'll consider giving Potter a chance."

Olivia beamed at her as Mary and Margaret emerged from the bathroom. Mary sashayed forward in a blue top that really complemented her curvy figure.

"Do you think Peter will notice me in my new top?"

Lily and Olivia laughed. "I think you could wear a potato sack and Peter would still notice you." Lily said. It was well known secret that the two had been eyeing each other for the past year.

Mary looked thrilled at Lily's statement as Margaret came forward to inspect her housemates. "Ooh, Lily, that green shirt looks amazing on you. And Olivia! You look great!"

"Thanks Margaret." Olivia said politely. "You look great, too!" Margaret was wearing a tight maroon shirt that showed off her slim figure. It had a deep V-neck that was sure to draw some attention tonight.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go before the party starts without us!" Olivia said excitedly.

"The party doesn't start until I get there." Margaret stated with mock confidence.

All the girls laughed as they started making their way back down the stairs to the common room. They had just made their way over to the couches when the portrait hole swung open once again to reveal the team. The room erupted with applause as the entire Gryffindor quidditch team made their way into the middle of the room as music began playing, signaling the start of the victory party.

James made his way over to Olivia and smiled brightly before giving her a firm hug.

"Congratulations, James!" She yelled over the music. Then as an afterthought, she said, "Maybe you should go ask Lily for a victory dance!" James looked shocked as Olivia's suggestion registered. He raised an eyebrow in question at his friend, but she just shrugged and shoved him in Lily's direction.

"Yes, s-splendid game, P-p-prongs!" Prongs squeaked "I wish I could f-fly as well as you!" James gave him a quick slap on the back in thanks and continued on his way towards Lily.

"Olivia! We creamed those Slytherin scumbags!" Sirius shouted as he ran over to Olivia. As he threw an arm around her, she noticed to number of angry looks from the girls around her. The Gryffindor girls could not be more jealous even if they tried. Olivia was used to the envious looks from girls, though. After all, you couldn't be friends with James Potter and Sirius Black and not expect glances like that occasionally. Olivia opened her mouth to congratulate him, but as soon as he appeared, he was gone in a flash. Most likely moving on to the next person to reminisce about today's inevitable victory over Slytherin.

Olivia smiled at Sirius' excitement. She turned to go and get herself a butterbeer, but instead cam face to face with the Gryffindor seeker.

"Remus!" Olivia said excitedly. She reached forward and gave him a quick hug. "You were absolutely brilliant today!"

Remus smiled as he watched her face light up at seeing him.

Olivia's smiled suddenly disappeared as she looked on at Remus with a firm stare. She raised her hand and smacked him in the arm as he jumped back in shock at her sudden mood change.

"Ow! What was that for?" He cried.

"That was for that little stunt you pulled at the end of the match!" She said angrily. "Do you know how worried I was!"

Remus smiled brightly at the thought of her worrying about his safety. "Well, at least we know that your luck worked." He said.

Olivia couldn't help but smile. "Of course it did. But that doesn't mean you should try testing it to the extent you did today."

Remus laughed before asking her, "Can I get you a drink?"

Olivia nodded. "A butterbeer would be great."

"Excellent. Be right back."

Olivia turned her attention to the couples on the dance floor and noticed, with a smile, that Lily was dancing with James, and it actually seemed like she was having a good time. She was so excited that her friend was actually getting a chance with Lily.

Remus returned with their drinks after a few moments. They sat in comfortable silence as they sip from their mugs as a the music morphed into a slow ballad. Remus turned to Olivia with a shy smile.

"Would you care to dance?"

"I'd love to."

Remus held his arm out for Olivia, and she took it willingly. He led her onto the dance floor among the other couples, finding a spot close to the back of the room. She spun and faced him, wrapping her arms around his neck as he grabbed her waist firmly.

Remus looked down and found himself getting lost in her big, blue eyes.

"You were amazing today, Remus." Olivia said shyly.

He chuckled at her admission. "Yes, I believe you've already told me that tonight."

"Well, I wanted to tell you again." She replied with a smile.

Remus looked down at the girl fondly. "Thanks, Liv. It means a lot for you to say that."

She smiled up at him again before ever so lightly putting her head to his chest as they swayed back and forth. Remus swelled with pride at the fact that the prettiest girl at Hogwarts was currently dancing with him with her head on his chest.

Even though things seemed to be going great between the pair, Remus was still insecure around Olivia. He had be wanting to ask her to the next Hogsmeade weekend, but he couldn't deny that he was nervous whether she would agree or not.

_Come on, Remus. Just do it._ He scolded himself.

Finally summoning his Gryffindor courage, he set his jaw and, with a confident mask that hid all of his insecurities, he looked down at Olivia.

"Hey, Liv?"

She raised her head off his chest and looked up at him sweetly.

"Yes?"

Remus took a deep breath. "Well, I wanted to ask you something. You see, I was wondering if maybe you would be interested in going with me to Hogsm-"

Remus was suddenly interrupted by the presence of a tall, handsome, boy standing in front of the pair.

"Hi, Olivia!"

Olivia smiled at the boy kindly. "Hello, Gabriel."

The boy then turned to Remus. "Mind if I cut in?"

Remus frowned at the boy and glanced down to see Olivia's reaction to the boy's proposal. She was looking up at Remus with a hopeful look, silently willing him not to allow the seventh year to cut in.

Remus sighed, aggravated that he missed his chance. "Of course." Olivia's face fell as Remus took her hand and placed it in the seventh year's own.

Remus walked to the sidelines of the dance floor and scanned the room before his eyes found the couple he was searching for. The wolf inside him howled with jealousy at seeing Olivia laughing with Gabriel as he twirled her around dramatically. He shouldn't have allowed the older boy to cut in when he was with someone as important to him as Olivia.

He was brought out of his seething by Sirius.

"So, Moony. It looks as though you have a bit of competition."

"Oh, shut up." Remus snapped.

"Ooh, a bit touchy, are we?" Sirius laughed. "Well, if you don't like it, why don't you go over there and do something about it."

Remus' shoulders slumped. He looked at the boy holding Olivia in his arms. He was tall, handsome, and normal. Remus sighed.

_I'll never have a chance with her. Look at me. Why would someone like her choose to be with a monster like me?_

Remus gazed at the smiling face of Olivia. She was the most popular girl at Hogwarts. She was asked out on an almost regular basis. He, on the other hand, was a half-breed. He was considered barely human in the wizarding world. Olivia was gorgeous, and she could have anyone she wanted.

Sirius' smile faded as he saw Remus physically deflating while watching the pair on the dance floor.

"Moony?" He asked, slightly worried.

Remus heard the worry in his voice, but turned on his heel. "I'm going for a walk."

With that said, Sirius watched his friend turn and make his way out of the portrait hole.

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><p>He didn't know where he was going, but Remus eventually found himself near the end of the lake. He looked up at the moon and felt his anger begin to build once again. He was just so tired-tired of being controlled, tired of all the secrets, and tired of feeling like he didn't belong.<p>

He laid down onto the cool grass and looked up into the sky. The full moon was a little over a week away, and Remus could already feel the effects it was having on him.

"Remus?"

Remus started at the sound of his name. He sat up quickly to see Olivia standing behind him with her arms crossed. She looked down at him with a worried expression.

"I tried looking for you after I danced with Gabriel, but I couldn't find you. Sirius said that you had come out here. Are you alright?"

Remus looked up at her, shocked that she was actually willing to leave the party just to find him and make sure he was alright.

Remus eventually found his voice. "Yes, I'm alright." He managed to choke out. "I just felt like getting a bit of fresh air, that's all."

Olivia's face softened with relief.

"Would you care for some company?"

Remus smiled brightly. "I would love that." His smile faded slightly as he added, "But won't Gabriel miss you?"

_Is he jealous?_ Olivia asked incredulously. She felt as though he had added that last part with a bit of a bitter edge. Olivia furrowed her brows as she decided to take a chance.

She smiled brightly. "I don't know, but if he does, I'm sure he'll get over it eventually. Besides, I never got to finish my dance with my favorite Marauder."

Remus' eyebrows shot up as he openly gaped at the young girl standing in front of him.

"Y-Your favorite?"

Remus sucked in a breath as Olivia gave him the most dazzling smile he had ever seen.

"Of course, you silly sausage. But don't tell James or Remus." She joked.

Remus continued smiling as Olivia came and laid down beside him. He couldn't believe that she said that he was her favorite Marauder. Normally, it was James and Sirius getting all of the attention from the girls, not Remus. He couldn't deny that it felt great to be the subject of the attention for once. They lay there in comfortable silence until Olivia finally spoke.

"Remus?"

"Yes?"

"Can I ask you something?" She asked quietly.

"Of course you can." He said firmly.

"Do you think it's going to get bad? The war, that is."

Remus was surprised by her question, but he relented that everyone's anxiety seemed to be growing in the past few months. Every day, there had been more and more reports of deatheater activity, disappearances, and killings. It was almost impossible for anyone to not be concerned with the sense of foreboding that everyone seemed to feel in these times. Remus, himself, although being a pureblood and therefor not a primary target for Voldemort or his followers, would find himself worrying over Lily, and, most especially, Olivia, considering they were both muggle-born.

He looked at the girl lying beside him and decided to answer honestly.

"Probably." He said simply.

Olivia remained silent for a few moments before whispering so lightly that if Remus did not have his enhanced hearing, he would never have realized she was speaking.

"Remus, I'm scared."

Remus looked over to see tears welling in Olivia's eyes. Instinctively, he did the only thing he could think to do and scooted over close enough to wrap his arms around her. As they lay there, Olivia with her head nestled into the crook of Remus' neck while he held her to him firmly, Remus murmured into her hair, "Liv, do you trust me?"

She glanced up at him with a firm look. "With my life."

"I'll be with you, and I promise I won't let anything happen to you." Remus said, and Olivia knew he wasn't joking.

Olivia felt lightheaded at the thought of someone looking out for her. She knew that she would always have James and Sirius, but Remus' declaration was somehow more profound.

"You promise?" She asked quietly.

"On my life." Remus responded intensely.

After a few moments of silence, Olivia tilted her head up towards Remus.

"Thank you."

"It's my pleasure." Remus responded.

Remus stiffened as he felt her hand brush against his that was laying on his stomach. He deliberated for a full minute on whether or not he should pull his hand away. Finally, he decided that if she wanted to pull away, then she could.

She didn't.

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><p><strong><em>Be sure to REVIEW! Thanks everyone!<em>**


	5. Turnabout

_**A/N: Hi everyone! I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far! I know that this chapter is a little shorter than normal, but I'll try to make it up to everyone with a super long chapter next time. Thanks so much for the reviews for the last chapter. Be sure to keep them coming though, because I LIVE off of reviews. Let me know what you think! Thanks!**_

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><p><strong>Chapter 5: Turnabout<strong>

Olivia and Remus didn't arrive back at Gryffindor Tower until the early hours of the next morning. Luckily, they did not encounter any patrolling professors, or, much worse, Filch. As they neared the portrait hole, Remus quietly muttered the password.

"Wattlebird."

The Fat Lady gave them a scolding look before swinging open to allow them access to the common room. Remus held out his hand and helped Olivia through the door before scurrying in after her.

They walked through the common room, noticing that there were only a few stragglers left asleep on the floor from the party the night before. As they neared the two sets of stairs leading up towards the boys' and girls' dorms, Olivia turned to Remus.

"Thanks for tonight. I had a really great time with you."

Remus smiled shyly. "I did too, Liv."

Olivia turned to begin making her way up the stairs, but stopped. Suddenly, she turned back around and walked straight up to Remus. Grabbing the front of his shirt, she pulled down firmly until Remus was eye level with her.

Remus' jaw dropped as Olivia leaned forward and gave him a lingering kiss on the cheek.

"Goodnight, Remus."

Remus felt his face flood with heat as he watched the beautiful girl walk up the stairs, looking over her shoulder every few steps. He couldn't stop himself as his face broke into a massive grin.

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><p>Several weeks had passed since the night Olivia had spent outside with Remus. Time seemed to have flown by, and it seemed like no time before December had arrived in full force upon the castle. Everyday was dreadfully cold, and the snow had been piling up since the end of October. Of course, the Marauders loved it. The large snowdrifts gave them the opportunity to ambush unsuspecting student with the cold slush as they walked to classes each day.<p>

Olivia sighed and shook her head as she smiled at the troublemakers wild antics. The Marauders were always up to something. She sighed and rubbed her eyes, trying to force herself to stop daydreaming and actually get out of the bed. It was still relatively early, but she wanted to go ahead and claim the shower before the bathroom became a madhouse. She finally dragged herself out of the bed and stretched before tiptoeing through the room to avoid waking her sleeping roommates.

She emerged from the bathroom just as Lily and Mary were waking up. Margaret was still snoring lightly, oblivious to the world around her.

Olivia walked over to Lily's bed.

"Good morning, sunshine." She said playfully while poking the redhead's sides.

Lily groaned and threw her covers off of her legs.

"What time is it?"

"Six-fifteen."

"Uuugh." She groaned groggily before pulling the covers back over her head.

"Now, Lily. We don't want to keep 'ickle Jamesikins waiting do we?" Olivia asked in a sing-song voice.

Over the past few weeks, it seemed as though Lily and James' relationship had been actually moving along for once. Lily had confided in Olivia that she had had a great time dancing with him at the quidditch celebration, and it seemed as though she was being much more open to James' advances. She had even let him carry her books one time last week.

Lily yanked the covers off her face and glared at Olivia. Olivia continued to grin at her best friend playfully until Lily could no longer hold her cold gaze, and the two erupted into fits of giggles.

Olivia laughed as she watched Lily's face blush with embarrassment.

"Oh, what's this! Are you saying that the famous James Potter has finally captivated the heart of Hogwart's most eligible bachelorette?"

Lily rolled her eyes.

"He might have." She said. "...but that doesn't mean that I'm going to let HIM know it."

The girls burst into fits of laughter again as Lily rose to go take a shower. Olivia flopped onto her bed thinking about how excited James would be if he had any idea that, after six years, he had finally gotten the girl of his dreams to notice him.

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><p>Some time later, the girls were making their way out of the Entrance Hall to their first class of the day, Care of Magical Creatures. Olivia had been slightly on edge all day, because the boys had not been at breakfast that morning. Normally, when the Marauders were missing, it meant that they were plotting something. But so far, they had not tried to prank them, not even while they were in the courtyard on the way to Transfiguration.<p>

But the girls were on high alert now. They would have to walk quite a distance outside to get to the edge of the Forbidden Forest where their class would be held today.

"Keep your eyes peeled, everyone." Olivia said while suspiciously scanning the area.

The four girls continued to keep watch out for any potential ambushes the entire way to class. Surprisingly, nothing happened.

"Maybe they aren't going to mess with us today, after all." Mary suggested.

"I don't know. It just doesn't seem right." Lily responded.

"Well, if they were going to do something, they would have done it already. They had ample opportunities to attack while we were walking all the way down here." Margaret said logically.

"I guess your right." Olivia conceded.

The rest of the day passed quickly, and soon the four girls were making their way to their last class of the day, Herbology. The girls had not seen much of the Marauders the entire day, and they had all missed their first class, which had Olivia worried for Remus. The full moon had been the week before, and he had only just been starting to look better in the last few days. Olivia was scared that the nasty weather may have caused his recovering body to become sick. She had sighed with relief as the quiet Marauder slid into his desk with his three friends just as the bell sounded for their second class to begin.

As they began making their way out of the Entrance Hall doors, Lily turned to the group of girls.

"Oh! I almost forgot to tell you! Wait until you hear the juicy bit of gossip I heard today in Charms!"

Mary and Margaret leaned in closer as Olivia smiled and pulled her scarf around her neck tighter. She had forgotten her jumper in the their rooms that morning, and was now really regretting her absentmindedness. Her long sleeved shirt was not helping to keep the cold out whatsoever. Not to mention, the warmth from tights that she was wearing under her skirt was basically nonexistent.

"What?" The girls asked excitedly.

"Well, Marlene told me that Vivian told her that Paisley caught Michael in a broom closet with, wait for it...Ivy Jacobson!" Lily finished dramatically.

The three girls gasped in shock.

"No way!" Margaret cried. "Michael and Paisley have been dating for years!"

"I know!" Lily replied. "Apparently, when she caught the two snogging, she hexed him so badly that she got a week's detention with Flitwick!"

The girls threw themselves into the latest bit of Hogwarts gossip as they continued walking down the snowy path to the greenhouses. Little did they know, they were being carefully watched by four sets of mischievous eyes.

"I just can't believe he would do that to her!" Olivia exclaimed. "I mean, they had already introduced each other to their parents, for crying out loud!"

Lily nodded in agreement grimly.

"I'll tell you one thing," She began to say. "If I were ever in Paisley's situati-"

Suddenly, Lily was cut off by the cry of a familiar voice.

"TAKE AIM, MEN!"

Olivia looked up at the direction of the voice, just in time to see the figure of James and Sirius standing behind a massive wall of snow, snowballs overflowing in their arms. They smirked arrogantly as they raised their arms to begin hurling them at the four surprised girls.

Olivia turned to run the opposite way, when she realized that they had been flanked by Remus and Peter, both grinning broadly, and she realized that they had them surrounded.

Lily placed a scowling look on her face as she pointed directly at James.

"JAMES POTTER! DON'T YOU DARE!" She roared.

James paused mid-throw at Lily's demand, trying to decide if pelting the girls would be worth Lily's anger.

"General! What's your orders?" Sirius yelled at James.

James paused before turning to Sirius with a grin.

"FIRE!"

Before Olivia even had time to yell out a threat, the four girls began scrambling as they were bombarded with what felt like a tidal wave of snow. Olivia sprinted towards a nearby tree, hiding behind the trunk to try and deflect some of the snow that was being hurled at her by a laughing Remus.

"Come on out, Liv. If you go quietly, I'll take you as my prisoner." Remus taunted playfully as he began stalking towards her hiding place.

"No quarter shall be given to the enemies, Lieutenant Moony!" Sirius yelled back at Remus.

Olivia stayed crouched behind the tree. She was already soaking wet, and she had lost her bag somewhere while running away. As Remus continued creeping up on her, Olivia got an idea and bent down to begin forming a huge snowball. She knew she only had a few more moments before Remus was on top of her, so she used her wand to levitate the massive snowball into the air.

"Wingardium Leviosa." She whispered quietly.

The large ball began floating into the air in front of her. She peeked her head out from behind the tree to see Remus walking towards her about ten feet away. She suddenly jumped out from behind the tree in mock surrender.

"I surrender!" She cried dramatically. "I will go willingly as your prisoner!"

She watched as Remus began to smirk at her triumphantly while lowering his arm that was previously prepared to launch another snowball at her.

Just as Remus began walking forward to claim the victory, Olivia flicked her wand towards him.

"Wha-!" Remus cried as the giant ball of slush flew at him. He turned to run, but it was already on top of him, smashing into his back and completely covering him with snow.

"ARRRGH!"

Olivia looked up and saw the shocked faces of her friends. Sirius had thrown Margaret into a large snowdrift that she was currently trying to dig herself out of, Lily had given up on throwing snowballs at James and was apparently trying to hex him instead, and Peter and Mary had given up on the entire battle and were both lying on the ground making snow angels.

All of a sudden, Remus' head popped out from the top of the massive pile of snow. His sandy blonde hair was soaking wet and stuck to his forehead.

At his appearance, the entire group of friends broke into fits of laughter. Olivia fell to her knees as she giggled hysterically watching Remus try to pull his tall figure out of the mounds of snow.

He eventually dug himself out and stood in front of Olivia, soaking wet to the bone. He wore a mischievous grin.

"Oh, I'm going to get you for that one, love!"

Olivia barely had time to register what Remus had referred to her as before she took off like a shot towards the lake with Remus in hot pursuit. Although Olivia was quite fast, Remus was much faster, and in a few moments, he had closed the distance between them.

Olivia squealed as Remus grabbed her around the waist. She desperately tried to get away, which only caused them to start stumbling down the steep incline on the shoreline of the lake. They tumbled over one another, laughing all the way, until they finally came to a stop right on the edge of the water. Olivia groaned, but smiled as Remus fell right on top of her. Only when she opened her eyes did she realize that their faces were only inches apart.

Remus' eyes widened, too, as he realized how close he was to the girl.

Neither said a word as they continued to stare into each others eyes, praying silently that the other would make a move. They could both feel the anticipation that had suddenly formed between them. Olivia continued to take in the expressions that crossed Remus' face: surprise, nervousness, and, finally, determination. She felt her heart begin to pound in her chest as Remus began closing the distance between the two.

She felt butterflies erupt in her stomach as she began leaning up anxiously for what would be her and Remus' first kiss. She ran a hand up Remus' chest while Remus wrapped his arms around her waist. She began to feel her eyes close as their lips were only centimeters apart...

"Hey, you two!"

The pair jumped apart, and the spell was broken as they looked up the hill to see Sirius standing there with a lopsided grin.

"Am I interrupting something?" He asked, taking in their position on the ground, laughter radiating from his eyes. "I could just come back later, but I was going to let you two know that we need to go if we are going to get to class on time."

Remus could feel the heat in his face as he looked up at his friend. "Yes, we're coming!"

With that said, Sirius turned on his heel and disappeared from sight once again. Remus looked down at Olivia and realized that he was still on top of her.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Liz." He apologized while shuffling to his feet. "I must have been crushing you."

"Not at all, Remus." She replied with a disappointed smile as Remus helped her to her feet.

She looked down at her soaking clothes and began brushing off some of the larger chunks of snow. Remus pulled his wand out and performed a drying spell on Olivia and then himself.

"Thanks." Olivia said gratefully.

"No problem."

Although she was now dry, Olivia still felt the coldness where the snow had been on her skin. As she and Remus began making their way back to the original path that led to the greenhouses, Olivia couldn't help herself as she began to shiver from the biting wind.

Remus looked over at her with concern. He reached out and touched her hand.

"Liv, you're freezing!"

"It's not too bad." Olivia answered sheepishly. "I forgot my jumper in my rooms this morning."

Remus stopped immediately and began wriggling out of his own jumper. "Here. You can wear mine. After all, it's my fault that you are cold in the first place. I would feel horrible if you came down with a cold." He said with a slight grin.

Olivia shook her head. "But Remus, I don't want you to get cold."

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

Olivia looked at the boy standing in front of her for a few more moments before taking the sweater out of his hand. She tugged the jumper over her head and smiled.

"How do I look?" She asked, striking a dramatic pose.

"Stunning." Remus said instantly. Honestly, he absolutely adored the fact that Olivia was currently wearing his sweater. To see this petite girl, with whom he was totally enamored with, wearing a possession of his had the wolf inside him howling with pride. He was only sorry that Sirius had interrupted them a few moments ago.

Olivia blushed as she smiled at Remus' complement. Her head was almost spinning with happiness as Remus' cologne swirled around her through the sweater. For some reason, the kind gesture seemed to be a much more personal than it would be normally if it occurred between friends; not that Olivia was complaining.

Olivia found that she couldn't keep the smile off her face throughout Herbology when Lily would send her questioning glances after noticing the unfamiliar, oversized jumper swallowing her friend.

* * *

><p>Much later that night, as Olivia was getting ready for bed, Lily emerged from the bathroom, plopping herself on her best friend's bed.<p>

"Ok, so what's going on with you and Remus?" She asked bluntly.

Olivia, being caught off guard with the sudden question, gaped at the redhead while trying to formulate an appropriate response.

"Wha-? Nothi-! I have no idea what you're even talking about!" She finally stuttered.

"Oh, come off it, Liv. Everyone knows you're totally smitten with each other." Lily replied with a grin.

Olivia blushed.

"Is it that obvious?" She asked quietly.

"Only a lot." Lily replied with a laugh. "So tell me what happened today before Herbology.

Olivia began to feel her face heat up as she recounted the tale to her best friend. Everything from the initial snowball to him giving her his jumper.

"I really think that he was about to kiss me, Lil." Olivia said seriously. "And he gave me his jumper to wear. That's got to mean something, right?"

"Liv, it's obvious that you both like each other, so why don't you just tell him how you feel?"

Olivia sighed. "I don't know, Lil. I mean, I'm positive that he was going to kiss me today, and I know he gave me his sweater, but the rest of the today he just pretended like nothing happened. What if he doesn't really feel the same way about me as I do him? Remus is very kind. He probably would have given anyone his sweater if they were cold." Olivia finished sadly.

"Olivia." Lily said firmly. "You are being completely paranoid. Remus is crazy about you, and everyone knows it."

Olivia looked up at her friend hopefully. "Do you really believe that, Lily?"

Lily rolled her eyes as she turned to Mary, who had been oblivious to the two girls' conversation as she was diligently working on a charms essay.

"Watch this." She said to Olivia.

"Mary?" Lily called out as she scurried over to the studying girl across the room.

Mary looked up from the parchment on which she was writing.

"Yeah, Lil?"

Lily plopped down onto the girl's bed before continuing.

"I heard a bit of gossip today, and I wanted to see if you knew anything about it."

Mary perked up instantly at the word "gossip".

"Oooh. Let's hear it, then!" She said excitedly.

"Ok. I heard that Katrina Shankman is going to try to get Remus to ask her to the next Hogsmeade weekend! Apparently, she has been plotting since the start of term! Do you think he'll ask her?" Lily exclaimed with mock enthusiasm.

Olivia watched as Mary furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. She paused a few moments before speaking.

"Wha-? Er-, No, I believe that Katrina is going to be sorely disappointed. I might have a better chance at teaching a hippogriff to do the tango than she will have at getting Remus to ask her out. Only Merlin knows why she would think that she had any chance with him at all."

"Why would you think that?" Lily continued manipulatively.

A look of complete and utter confusion crossed Mary's face once again. She looked up to Lily questioningly, then to Olivia, then back to Lily.

"Well," She started carefully. "E-Everyone knows that Remus is absolutely crazy about Liv..."

Lily smiled triumphantly before cutting Mary off. "Oh yes. You're right, of course, Mary. How silly of me."

The redhead's smile broadened even more as she turned away towards their extremely perplexed roommate and made her way back to Olivia.

"See? I told you so." She boasted.

"You were kidding about Katrina wanting Remus to ask her out, right?" Olivia asked. She couldn't deny that she had felt quite jealous at the thought of another girl trying to get the Marauder's attention.

Lily rolled her eyes. "My, you are quite the territorial one, aren't you Liv? Yes, it was completely false. I just made it up to prove my point."

Olivia chuckled and shook her head at her best friend's antics. She swore that sometimes the fiery redhead could be just as mischievous as James and Sirius.

"But, the real question is," Lily said, all playfulness vanishing from her face. "When are you going to tell Remus how you feel about him?"

Olivia felt her face blanch. She knew that she was a Gryffindor, but she couldn't imagine having the courage to actually spill everything to Remus. The mere thought of it made her feel a bit queasy.

Lily took in her friend's expression. "You're going to have to do it eventually, you know."

Olivia sighed. "Yes, I know. But maybe I should just try to get him to ask me out before I go pouring out all of secrets to him."

"I guess that makes sense." Lily conceded.

Lily turned and began changing into her nightgown as Olivia pulled back the covers to her bed and hopped in. Lily began pulling her own covers down as she turned back to Olivia with a serious look.

"I've never seen you like this, Liv." She began. "You really care about him, don't you?"

Olivia allowed a few seconds to pass as she laid there trying to decide how to answer Lily's question.

"I've never felt as strongly about someone as I do for Remus. I'm just terrified that he won't feel as strongly for me."

Lily took in her friend's sad expression and walked over to Olivia's bed before bending down and embracing her in a tight hug.

"It's all going to work out, Liv. I know that Remus feels the same way about you. He's just shy, that's all. It's all going to be fine."

Olivia hugged Lily back tightly, thankful that she had a friend that was so great. She wished the redhead a goodnight before laying her head down on her pillow. She closed her eyes, but, instead of falling asleep, she silently prayed with every ounce of her being that Lily's words were true.

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><p><em><strong>AN: So there it is. Please be sure to REVIEW and let me know what you think! **_


	6. Heightened Emotions

**_A/N- Hi everyone! Here is the new chapter! I should be able to upload again by the end of the week, but our Spring Break will be starting, and I will be going home, so no promises. Hope everyone enjoys it! Be sure to REVIEW!_**

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><p><strong>Chapter 6: Heightened Emotions<strong>

Olivia walked out of Gryffindor Tower with a spring in her step. There was only a week to go before winter break, and she was thrilled that she was going to be seeing her parents soon. It seemed as though the whole castle was trembling with excitement of the upcoming holiday as she made her way into the Great Hall and plopped unceremoniously between Lily and Margaret.

"Good morning everyone!" She exclaimed happily.

Lily raised an eyebrow. "In a good mood this morning, I see."

"How can I not be? It's almost winter break!"

Remus and Margaret chuckled.

"We need to do something!" James cried suddenly.

"Um, ok?" Olivia said, puzzled.

James turned to Sirius with a grin. "It's almost winter break. We need to do something."

Sirius continued looking puzzled. "What are you going on about Pro-, Oh! We need to do something!" He finished, picking up on James' innuendo.

"Mr. Padfoot would like to announce that Mr. Prongs is a genius."

"Mr. Prongs would like to add that he already knew that."

"Mr. Moony would like it known that he has no idea what is going on."

"Mr. Padfoot needs for Mr. Moony to get with the program."

"Mr. Prongs would like to state that he is downright dead-sexy."

"Ms. Liv thinks that you all are a bunch of silly twits."

"Mr. Prongs is astonished at Ms. Liv's audacity."

"Mr. Padfoot would like to say that Ms. Liv is also looking rather sexy today."

Olivia laughed and rolled her eyes at the three boys.

"So, where is Peter?"

James and Sirius began snickering as Remus turned to Olivia while trying to hold in his own laughter.

"I think the better question is, where is Mary?"

Lily looked confused. "What? Mary is in the library. She wanted to finish up the essay for Binns."

James and Sirius erupted into laughter.

"What?" Lily asked.

The boys continued laughing.

"Tell us what's going on, Remus." Olivia said.

"Well, yesterday, Peter ditched us, saying that he was going to go to the library to start his homework. The problem is that Peter hardly ever does his homework at all, much less, early. Obviously, we followed him."

Sirius turned to the girls with laughter still evident in his eyes. "Turns out, ol' Wormtail was having a little rendezvous with a certain dorm mate of yours."

The girls expressions turned to that of shock as James continued the story through fits of laughter.

"We found them going at it in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom!" James finished as the three of them laughed hysterically.

Lily stared at Margaret and Olivia, dumbfounded. "Well, that explains why she's been off 'studying' so much."

"Wait, I understand that this is a surprise and all, but why do you lot think it's that funny?"

Sirius spoke up first. "Well, let's just say that it's a lot funnier when you actually see it. Obviously, Wormtail has not had that much experience when it come to groping girls."

Margaret and Lily flushed with embarrassment at Sirius' bluntness.

"Well, I'm happy for them. They have been eyeing each other since third year." Olivia said.

She stood up as she began gathering her rucksack before adding, "You boys better not give either of them a hard time, either." She sad pointedly to the three boys before sauntering off to her first class.

* * *

><p><em>Why does History of Magic always have to be so dreadfully boring?<em> Olivia thought while trying to force her eyes to stay open. She smirked as she looked at Sirius sitting beside her, slumped over onto his desk not even attempting to pretend to be awake. Even Lily, "Miss Academia" herself, seemed to be nodding off every now an again. James, on the other hand, was whispering excitedly with Remus at the table behind them, planning their final prank before the holiday break, no doubt.

Finally, Professor Binns seemed to realize that half his class was fighting off sleep, while the other half was already passed out in various positions all over the room, and decided to let them out early.

"Excellent!" James exclaimed as he hopped out of his seat.

Olivia nudged Sirius, who was still snoring lightly beside her. "Sirius! Come on, wake up!"

Sirius snorted lightly. "BUT I LIKE THE BUBBLES!...Wha-?"

Olivia and the others burst into laughter as Sirius tried to regain his bearings after being asleep for so long.

"What's the question?" He asked groggily.

"Binns let us out early!" James said with a smile.

"Well, what are we waiting for! Let's go to lunch. I'm starved!" Sirius replied, immediately regaining his composure at the realization that class was over.

The five friends started their way to the Great Hall, where they met up with Margaret, Mary, and Peter. Margaret and Mary had dropped History of Magic fifth year, and had opted instead to go forward with their Muggle Studies N.E.W.T.s. Peter, who normally tried to take only the classes that the other Marauders took, had only achieved a "Poor" in History of Magic during the O.W.L.'s last year, and, therefore, was not able to continue taking the class.

As soon as they sat down, the four boys immediately began piling their plates high with an assortment of foods. Olivia began to fill her plate as well, when her attention was diverted to the screech of an owl that had just flown into the Hall.

Surprisingly, she noticed that it was her owl, Athena. The snowy white owl held out its leg helpfully as Olivia took the parchment from the container. She gave Athena a piece of toast from the table before rubbing her affectionately on the head and watching her fly back out of the room.

Olivia's friends looked at her questioningly as she took the parchment and began unfolding it.

"It's from my mom." She said as she recognized her mother's loopy handwriting.

_**Olivia,**_

_**How are classes going? Are you learning a lot? I hope all is well. I'm afraid I have a bit of bad news. Your father and I have decided to go visit your sister, Amelia, in America for the holidays. We will be taking Kherri with us, and we are planning to be back around the 5th. We are terribly sorry about the sudden change of plans, but I'm afraid they cannot be helped. Amelia is having some problems with the new baby and could really use the extra help. We love you, darling. And please try to write us before the holidays to let us know your plans.**_

_**Love you,**_

_**Mum**_

Remus saw Olivia's face fall as she continued reading the letter from her mother and began to worry.

"Liv? Everything alright?"

Olivia looked up at her friend's worried expressions and sighed.

"Yeah, it's just that my parents have decided to go visit my older sister in America for the holidays. She just had a baby and needs some extra help. My little sister, Kherri, is going with them."

Lily frowned at her friend. "Wait. So where will you go for Christmas?"

"I guess I'll just have to stay here. I don't have anywhere else to go."

Before Lily was able to respond, James barged in. "Absolutely not! No friend of mine will spend Christmas alone!"

Olivia looked at him, annoyed. "Well, what would you have me do!"

"You'll be staying with me, of course." James replied as if it was the most obvious answer in the world.

"No! Absolutely not. I couldn't imagine intruding on your family during the holidays."

Sirius chuckled. "James parents have allowed me to 'intrude' for the past three years."

"Seriously, Liv. It won't be a problem at all. My parents have always been cool with all of my friends spending time at our house."

"More like 'mansion'" Sirius muttered.

"Are you sure, James?"

"Of course...So you'll come?"

Olivia glanced over to Margaret, Lily, and Mary. All of them seemed to be nodding slightly in approval, so Olivia decided to give in.

"Alright, James. If you're sure, then I'll spend Christmas with you"

"Yes! The holidays are going to be awesome!" Sirius yelled excitedly.

Olivia smiled at the boys enthusiasm. She was nervous about meeting James' parents, and hoping that they wouldn't mind her coming, but at the same time, she was exponentially relieved that she wouldn't be spending Christmas alone in the giant castle.

"And don't worry, Liv. Normally, Moony, here, spends quite a bit of time at the house during the holidays, so you won't have to miss him too much." James added smugly.

Olivia felt her face heat up as she refused to look anywhere near Remus, whose face was beat red as well. The group of friends laughed at the pair's obvious discomfort as Olivia grabbed a piece of parchment out of her rucksack to send a reply to her mother.

* * *

><p>Three days before the Hogwarts Express was scheduled to depart, Olivia awoke with a pounding in her head. As she got up, she realized that she also felt a bit queasy before she headed to get showered and dressed for class. As she walked down to the common room, she was met by James and Remus.<p>

"Woah, Liv. You aren't looking too good." James said cautiously.

"I suppose I am feeling a bit peaky." She responded quietly.

Remus looked at her with concern etched all over his face. "I think that you should go to see Madam Pomfrey. I'll help you there."

Olivia looked up with a smile at Remus' obvious worrying. "I'm sure that I'll feel better after I eat something." She saw Remus about to protest and added hastily, "If I'm still feeling unwell after breakfast, then I promise I'll go to the hospital wing."

Appearing satisfied with this answer, Remus backed off and waited for the rest of the girls to come down before the group walked down to breakfast. Olivia watched as the four Marauders whispered and laughed the whole way to the Great Hall and realized that their prank that they had been working on must be going to be pulled this morning. As if reading her mind, James spoke up at that moment.

"Hey girls, be sure not to leave the hall until after we leave. We wouldn't want you lot to miss the show."

Lily rounded on him with narrowed eyes. "James Potter! What have you got planned?"

James smiled innocently at the redhead. "I guess you'll just have to wait and see, my beautiful Lily-flower."

Olivia watched as Lily's face turned the same brilliant shade of red as her hair at James' compliment.

Breakfast seemed to be going as usual as the group sat and ate with occasional conversation. Olivia was still not feeling well, and had decided that she probably should follow Remus' advice and head to see Madam Pomfrey.

She stood up and her friends looked at her. "I'm still not feeling well, guys. I think I'm going to go ahead and go see Madam Pomf-"

"AHHHHH!"

Olivia was suddenly interrupted by a scream from the Slytherin table. Only seconds later, countless screeches and yells erupted from the same table and filled the air. Olivia whipped her head around and saw that everyone sitting at the Slytherin table was now sporting forest-green skin. She turned back to the Marauders with a raised eyebrow. James and Sirius immediately exploded with boisterous laughter. Peter, at seeing the two handsome Marauders start laughing, began laughing, himself, in imitation of his idols. Remus, on the other hand, sat in his seat with his head down and a small smile on his face while quietly chuckling.

"So this is what you lot have been plotting all this time?" Olivia asked.

"One of my better ideas, although Moony, here, was the one who came up with how to get it into their drinks, and Padfoot did all the execution." James said proudly.

"How long will it last?" Margaret asked while eyeing the furious Slytherins warily.

"Not really sure, to be honest." Sirius said with a lopsided grin. "We expect it should have worn out by the time we get on the train."

Olivia smiled. "Alright you silly twits. As I was saying, I think that I'm going to go see Madam Pomfrey. I still feel dreadful."

At that time, a group of Slytherins were trying to hurriedly make their way out of the Great Hall as the laughter from the other house tables humiliated them even further. One Slytherin bumped right into Olivia as she was getting up from the table and shoved her, sending her flailing to the floor. She attempted to catch herself on the hard, stone, floors, but her wrist got twisted under her. Olivia cried out as she felt a crunch in her wrist as pain shot through her right arm.

"Oww!"

Olivia looked up and realized that she was staring into the green faces of Lucius Malfoy, Bellatrix Black, Augustus Rookwood, and Barty Crouch Jr. The boy known as Rookwood stepped forward, looming over her.

"Watch where you're going, stupid mudbloo-"

Remus appeared, quite literally, out of nowhere, and suddenly had his wand pointed to the throat of the Slytherin boy.

"Go ahead, Rookwood. Finish the sentence. I dare you."

Olivia shivered at the quiet rage in Remus' voice. She had never seen him so angry before. She looked over and realized that James and Sirius also had their wands trained onto the small group of Slytherins.

"Oh, protecting your little mudblood filth, are you? Not surprising, really. I can't imagine why purebloods would stoop to such levels; Associating themselves with such filth." Lucius sneered.

Bellatrix gave a high-pitched screech of a laugh. "Oh, I'm sure my dear cousin could answer that question, couldn't you, Sirius."

Sirius looked at the group lazily. "Oh, I'm sorry, Bella. I didn't hear you because I was too distracted by your nasty green face."

Bellatrix shrieked in anger and defiance and whipped her wand out instantaneously. Olivia couldn't believe that the teachers had not noticed the disruption for this long.

"No, Bella. Not here." Lucius said firmly.

James smirked cockily. "Worried about getting your arses kicked, eh, Malfoy?"

Lucius sneered at James as Lily looked on worriedly. "No, Potter. We know that you lot of blood-traitors were responsible for the incident this morning. And don't worry. We will have our revenge." He finished coldly.

With that said, the group of green Slytherins stalked out of the Great Hall.

"Aww, I thought we were going to get to kick some Slytherin arse!" Sirius whined.

Lily frowned at James. "James, you'd better be careful. I don't think that Malfoy was kidding when he said they'd get revenge."

James' eyes widened at Lily's sentence. "You just called me 'James'!"

Lily rolled her eyes. "That's your name, isn't it?"

"Well, yes, but you've never called me by it before."

"I'm normally not worried about my friends' safety, either!" Lily finished exasperatedly.

"Whoa. Lily used James' name AND referred to him as a 'friend' in the same conversation!" Margaret exclaimed while smiling.

Lily looked put out as she began eating her breakfast again, muttering something about finding new friends.

Remus, meanwhile, was checking on Olivia.

"Liv, are you alright?"

Olivia attempted moving her injured wrist, only to scrunch her face as pain rippled throughout her hand and arm.

"I think I might have broken my wrist." She said, trying not to whimper in pain.

"Come on, let's get you to the hospital wing."

Olivia complied and allowed Remus to escort her to Madam Pomfrey. As they came into the wing, the older lady came to meet them immediately after seeing Remus helping her along.

"Miss Hansen! What's happened?"

"Well, I haven't been feeling well today, and then I fell, and I believe I might have broken my wrist." Olivia said meekly. Madam Pomfrey waved her wand a few times over Olivia before speaking again.

"Tsk, tsk! You should have come here this morning! You're running a fever, young lady!" She scolded lightly. "But you were right about the wrist. You have a nasty break in two places. I can fix it in a snap, though, so don't fret."

Madam Pomfrey gave Olivia a gown to change into and put her into one of the beds. She then gave her several different potions for her fever, as well as one extremely nasty potion for the broken bones in her wrist. Madam Pomfrey also insisted that she stay overnight just to be sure that the potions took effect.

"But Poppy, I have class this afternoon!" Olivia complained, not wanting to spend the night in the hospital.

"I will let your teachers know that you will be excused." She replied. She then turned to Remus. "Mr. Lupin?"

"Yes Ma'am?"

"You are free to go. Thank you for your help."

"But can't I stay a little while longer?"

Olivia smiled at Remus, thankful for him not wanting to leave her alone.

"No, Mr. Lupin. Miss Hansen needs her rest. You may come back tonight after dinner, though." She responded as she herded a protesting Remus out of the hospital wing.

* * *

><p>After having the door slammed in his face, Remus began making his way away from the Hospital Wing towards the common room. He was a bit put out that he couldn't stay with Olivia while she was sick, but he supposed that it was good that he could go and tell everyone how she was doing. He eventually reached the portrait hole and gave the password.<p>

"Hippogriff"

The Fat Lady swung open to reveal the portrait hole and he made his way into the common room, where the girls and the other Marauders were waiting for an update on Olivia. He was immediately bombarded with questions.

"How is she?"

"Why isn't she with you?"

"Did she see me insult the Slytherins?"

"Is she going to be alright?"

"When is she going to be back?"

Remus' head snapped back and forth between the bombardment of questions being thrown at him. Finally, he got everyone to settle down so he could answer them.

"Olivia is alright. She is running a fever, and her wrist was broken in two places from when she was pushed by Rookwood. Poppy said that she has to stay overnight to be monitored, but she should be released in the morning if everything looks ok."

James and Sirius exploded. "He broke her wrist! Oh, he is going to pay! You just wait. We'll get him back!"

Remus could understand their anger. He was also furious with the large boy hurting Olivia, but he was just better at keeping his emotions hidden than his two friends.

"Simmer down, guys. We'll get our revenge. But let's wait until after the holidays. That way, they won't be suspecting a thing."

James and Sirius smiled maliciously before nodding in agreement. Those Slytherins would rue the day that they decided to mess with one of their friends.

* * *

><p>The next morning Olivia was allowed to leave the hospital wing under Madam Pomfrey's orders to take it easy for the rest of the term. Olivia didn't think that would be too hard, since the train would be leaving the day after the next. Her friends had been by to see her after dinner and also before classes that morning. She smiled as she remembered the boys bringing her chocolate, candies, and balloons in hopes of cheering her up. She really did have some amazing friends.<p>

She was planning to head towards the lake, where she had agreed to meet everyone after she was released. Since they were done with classes today, they had a completely free afternoon, and were planning to build snowmen in the fresh layer of snow that had fallen last night.

Olivia began making her way through the corridors before she was stopped in her tracks by the sound of a familiar voice around the next corner.

"Those blood-traitors have to pay!"

Olivia immediately shrank into the shadows against the wall and held her breath. She knew it would not be a good situation if she were caught eavesdropping on Slytherins.

"Are you sure you'd really be able to attack your own cousin, Bellatrix?" Rookwood sneered.

"He's no cousin of mine!" She snapped. "Filthy mudblood lover has disgraced the noble house of Black. Even my aunt, his own mother, can't love a blood-traitor like him. He lives with the Potter's now. They are almost as dirty as mudbloods, in my opinion."

"What a waste of blood." Another voice said.

"Well, I think it's time we teach that lot a lesson, yes?" Bellatrix sneered.

"Lucius said to wait." An unmistakable voice reasoned.

"Oh, what do you know, Snape! You're nothing but a coward anyways." Rookwood spat.

Olivia heard a blast and a yelp of pain before a thud sounded as a body hit the floor. She didn't dare try and peek to see what had happened.

"Anyone else think I'm a coward?" Severus asked in a quiet and deadly voice.

"Fine. Stay, Snape. But we are going to get a little revenge on the traitors." Bellatrix said coldly. "They're near the lake. It should be far enough out of the way to where teachers can't see. What say we pay them a visit?"

There was laughter as Olivia realized that they were beginning to walk away.

Olivia thought frantically how she needed to handle the situation. _Should I go get a teacher? No, it'll be too late then. Should I try to distract them? No, they'll see right through it and beat me to a pulp._ She continued coming up with and discarding ideas fast as lightning. Eventually, she just decided to try and get to her friends before the Slytherins did. She knew that they had quite a head start on her, but she was determined to get there and warn her friends before it was too late.

Olivia took a different turn than the Slytherins and began to run through the corridors and out of the front of the castle towards the lake. By the time she finally caught up to the Slytherins, she had an awful stitch in her side. _I am so out of shape!_ She complained to herself.

She looked at the group in front of her and realized that she and her friends would be outnumbered. Bellatrix was surrounded by five large boys and two additional girls all in Slytherin robes. She kept her distance behind them, trying to ensure that they would not realize she was following them while she frantically scanned the area for her friends.

A few moments later, Olivia spotted her friends, but was dismayed to see that the Slytherins had also spotted them as well. The eight attackers raised their wands and took aim at their unsuspecting targets while Olivia panicked at trying to decide a course of action. Seconds before they cast their spells, Olivia screamed.

"WATCH OUT!"

Immediately, James pushed Lily to the ground and yanked out his wand just as Sirius pushed Margaret and already had his own wand out. Remus conjured a shield charm that was able to block some of the spells, but not before one hit Peter directly in the chest while he was fumbling for his own wand. He hit the ground with a loud thud and didn't move. Luckily, Mary had jumped behind a nearby tree at Olivia's warning, and had been spared.

In mere seconds, it had escalated into a full-blown battle. Olivia pulled out her own wand and raised it towards her friends' attackers. She immediately yelled out one of the few offensive spells that she was proficient at in rapid succession.

"Petrificus Totalus!"

Olivia's aim rang true as it hit its target, and she watched as the girl dueling with Lily fell to the ground frozen.

She yelled out the spell one more time, hitting the other girl that was firing shots at Remus. She was pleased that she was able to help her friends, but they were still outnumbered, and her last spell seemed to draw the attention of the Slytherins.

Olivia steadied herself as two boys, which she knew to be Antonin Dolohov and some chubby boy that she only knew as Crabbe began stalking towards her. She held her wand tightly towards the boys as they began shooting hex after hex at her. She whipped her wand around her as fast as she could, barely able to block each spell that the boys were shooting at her.

Remus finally was able to stun Evan Rosier and looked around at his friends. Sirius was dueling Bellatrix and the two seemed to be matched pretty equally. James was dueling with Rookwood, but seemed to be getting hit occasionally as he worried over Lily and Margaret dueling Rodolphus Lestrange. He began to make his way over to help James when he realized that Olivia was in trouble.

"Olivia!" She shouted.

Remus began to sprint over to Olivia just as Sirius sent Bellatrix flying backwards and James stunned Rookwood. James immediately turned and disarmed Lestrange, also sending him flying backwards towards Bellatrix. The group of friends looked up and gasped as they watched Olivia struggling as she fiercely tried to block the oncoming slew of spells that the two huge boys were sending at her. She was only able to send off the occasional offensive spell that was easily blocked by her assailants. It was obvious that she wasn't going to be able to hold them off much longer.

James and Sirius were off like a shot after Remus, hoping to make it to Olivia before the two Slytherins were able to hurt her.

Olivia saw Remus running towards her with James and Sirius hot on his tail just as a purple jet of light slipped through her defenses and hit her square in the chest. She took a sharp intake of breath as she was blasted forcefully into a large tree behind her. Her neck snapped back as she was thrown, and she yelled in pain as she heard a crack as the back of her head collided with the tree. Pain wracked her body as she fought the hazy layer of black that was threatening to overtake her.

Remus watched as Olivia was thrown to the tree and howled with rage. The two boys turned around and, seeing that the rest of their companions were either stunned or were just now getting off the ground, began fleeing towards the castle. They weren't quick enough to avoid missing Remus' rage induced "Reducto" and were promptly blasted a solid twenty feet backwards, knocking them out instantly.

Remus was by Olivia's side moments later. She was still trying to force her eyes to stay open as he kneeled beside her, cradling her into his arms in a sitting position.

"Liv! Are you alright?"

Olivia could hear the concern in his voice as she willed her eyes open. She gasped for air and could only nod as she began taking slow, deep breaths.

James and Sirius arrived at that time with Lily, Margaret, and Mary close behind. Olivia noticed that Margaret and Mary were helping Lily along as she seemed to have injured her ankle.

Lily slumped down beside her just as she began to feel her eyes begin to close.

"Liv? Liv! Keep your eyes open! You could have a concussion!"

"We need to get her back to the hospital wing." James said.

"No, no hospital wing." Olivia mumbled. "Just give me a minute."

Olivia took a few deep breaths and then opened her eyes wide, forcing the pain in the back of her head into the back of her mind. She sat for a moment, willing herself to focus and regain her senses. After a few moments, she thought that she was able to stand.

"Are you alright?" Sirius asked.

"Yeah. Just a little out of sorts." Olivia replied much firmer.

"Do you think you can stand up?" Lily asked, still worried.

"Yeah, I think so."

Remus offered her his hand and she took it gratefully. He brought her to her feet and held her as she steadied herself, still feeling a bit woozy.

"How is everyone?"

Sirius spoke up first. "Well, Peter here is fine. Just a stun. Margaret seems to be fine, and Mary did quite the job at hiding, so she is alright as well." Mary blushed at her obvious hiding during the battle. "Of course, James, Remus, and I are fine because we are tough men," Lily and Olivia snorted at Sirius' description of the three Marauders. "...which brings us to you and Lils here. Obviously, you were knocked a bit loopy after being thrown into the tree, which you already know, and Lily here seems to have a pretty bad sprain after James shoved her to the ground to avoid the initial spells that those nasty gits threw at us."

James looked abashed that he had been the one to injure Lily, but Lily shocked them all when she spoke up.

"James, don't feel badly. I know that you saved me from whatever horrid spells those Slytherins were planning to use against us." She said with a small smile. James' mouth dropped open as Lily spoke again, much more quietly this time.

"Thank you." She said sincerely.

"No problem, Lily-flower. But as I was the one that caused you this pain, I think it's only fair that I be the one to escort you to the hospital wing." James recovered quickly.

Lily fired back immediately. "No way! If Liv isn't going to the hospital wing, then neither am I! Besides, I have some sprain paste in the dorm anyways."

James seemed to contemplate this for a moment before speaking. "Alright, no hospital wing. But may I still be in charge of escorting you to the common room?"

"Errr, ok." Lily answered finally.

"Yes!"

James immediately ran forward and scooped Lily up off the ground, cradling her against him securely before yelling to the others. "You lot ready to head back to the common room? We need to let these girls get some rest!"

"James! I don't recall agreeing to this!" Lily said with half-hearted anger.

"Ah, but I don't hear you disagreeing either." James said smugly before turning serious. "Please Lily, just let me do this. I really do feel terribly about your ankle."

Lily, being stunned with his sincerity, complied with his request. "Alright, James. But no funny business." She ended with a smile tugging at her lips.

Sirius had run over and cast the counter-jix on Peter, who was currently sitting in the snow, asking what had happened. Sirius merely laughed and told him that they would tell him about it later.

Remus turned to Olivia, who was still looking a bit pale.

"Liv, are you sure you're alright?"

"Yes, Remus. I really am feeling better. A bit woozy, I suppose, but definitely better." She said.

At the word "woozy" Remus reached down and scooped her up into his arms, cradling her almost exactly like James had Lily.

"Remus, what are you doing?" Olivia asked.

"James isn't the only gentleman in this group, I have you know." Remus replied with a broad smile. If he were being honest with himself, he would admit that he just wanted a reason to hold Olivia close to him again.

Accepting Remus' reasoning, Olivia laid her head against his chest and rested, closing her eyes to attempt to get the pounding in her head to go away.

She was startled when Remus whispered lightly near her ear. "Don't fall asleep, ok? You need to stay awake in case you really do have a concussion."

"I won't" She promised. "I just want to rest a bit."

"Good. I've got you, so just rest. I won't let anything happen to you." Remus whispered protectively. His statement sent shivers up Olivia's spine as she closed her eyes again and began resting.

Sirius returned to the group after ennervating Peter and took in the females in his two friends' arms.

"Oi! How come you two get to hold pretty birds and I don't!" He yelled, outraged.

"Too bad, Padfoot. Gotta be quicker on the draw." James laughed.

"Like hell!" Sirius yelled. He turned and looked at Margaret a moment before running over and scooping her up.

"Hey!" Margaret screamed. "I'm not even hurt, Sirius! Put me down!"

"Not a chance, Marg. If my two mates get to hold a pretty girl, then so do I." He rationalized.

Margaret blushed at Sirius' compliment and allowed the handsome Marauder to carry her.

"Well, if you insist." She began.

"I do." He finished firmly.

The group began making their way back towards the castle when they heard Peter speak up.

"Mary, I'm not feeling well. Do you think that you could levitate me up to the common room?"

The group of friends erupted into laughter at the chubby boy's request.

"Only Peter would have the chance to carry a girl and then insist she carry him." Sirius laughed.

The group continued laughing as Mary began levitating Peter behind the group as they continued their way up towards the castle to the warmth of the Gryffindor common room.

* * *

><p><em><strong>So there it is! What do you guys think? Spectacular? Awful? Go and throw myself off a cliff? Let me know what you think by leaving me a <span>REVIEW!<span>**_


	7. Christmas Holidays: Part 1

_**A/N- I'm sorry that it's been so long since I've updated. I've been on Spring Break for the past week, so I just really haven't had much time to write, but I'm back now, so I should be updating like normal from now on. So here is the new chapter. It's not as great as I wanted it to be, but I hope everyone likes it! Also, I'm looking for a beta, so if anyone is interested, shoot me a message and let me know! Thanks everyone!**_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7: Christmas Holidays-Part 1<strong>

Olivia listened to the melodic rhythm of the engine as the Hogwarts Express flew down the tracks. It was finally the beginning of the Christmas break and, Lily, Margaret, Mary, and Olivia were in a compartment gossiping about anything and sharing their plans for the break.

"So, what's everyone's plans for the break?" Olivia asked the group of girls.

"Absolutely nothing." Lily complained lightly. "I mean, I'm thrilled to see my parents again, but I know that I'm going to be bored out of my mind within a week!"

"Well, at least you won't have to attend all of the snooty events my parents are going to insist I attend." Margaret countered. It was a well-known fact that because of their old pureblood line, the Killington's had a tendency to align themselves with some of the more shady families that were thought to be supporters of You-Know-Who. Margaret, on the other hand, did not buy into the whole "I have all magical family, therefore, I am better than you", drivel. She knew that muggleborns could be just as powerful, if not more powerful, than some of the oldest pureblood lines. But that wouldn't stop her parents from dragging her to kingdom come trying to make alliances with only the wealthiest of purebloods.

"Oh, I'm sorry Marg. Maybe you can come for a visit and spend a few days at my house?" Lily offered with sympathetic eyes.

Margaret looked thoughtful for a moment. "I would really love to. I might have to stretch the truth a bit with who you are since they'd never let me be a guest in a house full of muggles, but I think I might can spin it to work."

"Excellent! Mary, what about you?"

Mary began blushing. "Well, Peter has asked me to go visit his house so that I can meet his parents."

All the girls squealed at once.

"Mary that's brilliant!"

"So, are you two dating now!"

"Tell us everything!"

"Hold on, hold on!" Mary laughed. "Yes, we are dating now. He asked me to be his girlfriend just last night, and, of course, I said 'yes'. He was so nervous! I didn't think he'd ever spit it out."

"Aww, that's so great Mary! I'm so happy for you two." Olivia said honestly.

"Alright, well that's two and one-half down, one to go." Margaret said thoughtfully.

Lily gave her a confused look. "What?"

"Two and one-half of us are now officially 'taken'." She answered simply.

"And how did you figure that?" Olivia asked.

"Well, Mary here is now Peter's girlfriend, you and Remus are so smitten with each other, I honestly can't believe that you aren't snogging the pants off of each other right now, and eventually Lily is going to admit that she fancies James, even though we all already know it, so therefore, she only gets half a point. See? Two and one-half.

Lily began to blush furiously as Olivia made feeble attempts to defend herself.

"That's not true. I don't even know if Remus feels the same way about me."

Lily turned to her best friend with a raised eyebrow. "Are you kidding me? I have to agree with Margaret on this one, Liv. It is beyond obvious how much you two fancy each other."

"So what's going on?" Margaret added.

Olivia sighed heavily. "I don't know! It just seems like we are stuck in this place that's right at the border of the friend zone and something more. I just don't know how to get it moving again." She finished sadly.

"Maybe you should try to come on a little stronger, you know? Make sure you let your feelings be known." Margaret suggested.

"But how do I do that?"

"Why don't you just tell him?" Lily asked.

"Tell him?" Olivia cried.

"That would be the easiest way." Margaret mused.

"I don't know if I could ever be that brave."

"Well, you'll never get your relationship with him moving again if you don't do something!" Margaret pointed out.

"At least think about it, will you?" Lily asked.

Olivia looked at her friends warily. "Alright. I'll at least give it some thought, but no promises."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, a few compartments down, the boys had just visited the trolley and were having a very similar conversation. James and Sirius were snacking on a box of Every Flavor Beans, Remus was reading a book near the window, and Peter was shoveling several different pastries down his throat, as usual.<p>

Sirius had just finished telling James about his latest solo prank on an unsuspecting second year Hufflepuff when he turned to Remus.

"So Remus, what are you going to do over the break?"

Remus looked up from the book he was reading. "Not much really. I don't think my parents have anything special planned."

James looked at Sirius knowingly before turning to Remus as well. "So, are you going to be coming over to my place to visit?"

"Probably. I haven't seen your parents since the last break, and maybe we can get in a few pick up Quidditch games."

James and Sirius looked at each other with a grin.

"A few Quidditch games, eh?" Sirius laughed. "Are you sure that's all?"

Remus glanced up at his two friends with a confused look.

"Oh, come on, Moony. I love my parents and all, but are you sure you're not more interested in a certain brown haired little Gryffindor that is planning to spend her holidays at my house?"

Remus snapped his head towards James with a shocked look. "What? No! Of course not! Can't a bloke just visit his friends once in a while? Olivia and I are just friends, that's all."

"Oh, come off it, Moony. We all know you fancy her." Sirius intervened.

"I do not. Liv is a really nice girl, but we are just friends." Remus insisted.

Sirius looked thoughtful before looking back at Remus, a smile lightening his handsome features. "So let me get this straight. You are, in no way, interested in dating Olivia?"

Remus nodded his head. "That is correct." He agreed.

"All right then. So that means you wouldn't have a problem with me asking her to go on a date with me, would you?"

James looked at Sirius with a massive grin as Peter looked on in absolute confusion.

Remus erupted. "WHAT! You can't ask her out! You don't even fancy her!"

"Now, now, Moony. You said that you weren't interested, so there is nothing wrong with Padfoot asking her out." James reasoned.

"B-but.."

Sirius winked at James. "You know, I think I'll go ask her right now!"

Sirius jumped up out of his seat and bolted out of the compartment. Just as he expected, Remus was hot on his heels, with James and Peter right behind him. What he didn't expect was Remus catching up with him within a few steps into the corridor. Sirius let out a yelp of surprise as Remus tackled him to the ground before the two boys began to wrestle.

"Oof! What's going on, UGH!, with you Remus?" *smack*

"You are going to ask Olivia out! Ow!"

"You said you weren't interested!"

"That *smack* doesn't mean, Oof!, that you get to!"

The two boys continued rolling over on each other until Remus was finally able to pin Sirius to the ground. He sat on top of the handsome Marauder as James and Peter looked on, amused at the two boys' antics.

Remus looked down at Sirius with a mix of anger and terror.

"You can not ask her out! I forbid it!"

"Forbid it? Oh yeah, like you could actually 'forbid' me or Olivia to do anything. Besides, what are you going to do about it?" Sirius taunted.

Remus sat still for a moment in deep thought. Suddenly, he jumped off of Sirius and took off like a shot down the corridor with Sirius and the other two boys hot on his trail.

He sprinted down the hall as he glanced in each of the compartments, trying to find the one he was looking for. Finally, he heard the familiar peels of laughter and stopped when he saw the pair of bright blue eyes that he knew so well. He didn't even have time to think as he burst straight into the compartment, startling all of the girls inside. His amber eyes found hers as he shouted out without even saying hello.

"Olivia, would you like to go on a date with me?"

Olivia's mouth dropped open as she tried to process what had just happened. She glanced behind Remus and noticed that the three other Marauders were all standing in the doorway, satisfied smiles all on their faces, with Sirius' being the most smug of them all. She turned her attention back to Remus.

"Wha-?"

Remus composed himself and tried to regain some control over the situation. Besides, he wasn't known as a gentleman for nothing.

"I do apologize for the interruption, but Liv, I was hoping that you would do me the honor of going on a date with me over the holiday break. Maybe I could take you to Diagon Alley? I know you had mentioned you haven't been there since before your first year."

Olivia's mouth was still dropped open when she suddenly realized what was going on.

_Remus just asked you out! Remus Lupin just asked you out on a date! Say, yes, you twit!_

"Uh, I mean,"

Remus had begun to look a little worried at Olivia's silence.

"Um, I mean, that's if you want to go there. If you don't want to then we..."

_Get it together you moron!_ Olivia scolded herself. She took a deep breath and tried to answer again.

"Yes, Remus. I would like that very much." She answered with a smile.

Remus' face lit up immediately into a broad smile. "Excellent! I'm sure we can work the details out later."

Remus and Olivia continued to stare at each other with goofy smiles on their faces until Lily cut in. "Well guys, you might as well stay and hang out with us."

"Aw, thanks Lily-flower."

James plopped down right next to Lily, while Sirius sat on his other side next to Margaret. Peter and Mary left the cart in hopes of finding the trolley again before it ran out of snacks. Remus took the seat next to Olivia.

Olivia could feel the heat in her cheeks as Remus sat down next to her. She didn't know what had caused the outburst from him, but she was sure thankful to whatever it was. She didn't know if this day could get any better.

"So, Liv. Are you excited about spending the holiday at James'?"

"Yes, I'm a little nervous though. I just hope James' parents like me." She answered worriedly.

"Of course they will." Remus responded immediately.

Olivia smiled at the compliment before asking him about the book in his hand. "What are you reading, there?"

Remus handed the book over to her, and she began flipping through the worn out pages.

"'A Midsummer Night's Dream' by William Shakespeare. He's a famous Muggle author, so I'm sure you've heard of him. I'm absolutely fascinated with his writing."

"Oh yes, I'm familiar with quite a few of Shakespeare's works, but that is actually one of my favorites. I haven't read it in a while." She added. "I don't have my own copy. My aunt does though, so I make sure to borrow it every time we go to visit."

Remus thought for a moment before speaking again.

"Well, why don't we share this copy then? It's a long train ride, and we can read together."

Olivia glanced up at the boy beside her. He was smiling down at her holding the book towards her. She'd never met anyone to whom kindness came so easy. She smiled back at him sweetly.

"I'd like that."

Remus' smile broadened as he handed Olivia the book. She opened it to the first page and began reading. Remus scooted closer to her and began reading over her shoulder. The pair fell into an easy silence as their friends began dozing off one by one. Before long, it was just Remus, Olivia, and Lily still awake.

Lily let out a large yawn as she put the book she was reading back into her rucksack. She leaned up against the window of the train and decided to rest her eyes a bit.

Remus was beginning to feel his eyelids become a bit droopy when he noticed Olivia's grip on the book begin to slip. He looked over just in time to see her head loll to the side to come to rest right against his left shoulder. Slightly panicked and extremely excited, he wasn't sure what to do. Finally, he decided there was no harm in getting comfortable and lifted his arm around the sleeping girl to bring her into the side of his chest. She snuggled close to him in her sleep, which encouraged Remus to tighten his embrace around her as he settled in against the window. Soon, he felt his head fall onto the top of hers, his eyes finally closing as he fell asleep with his arms around the pretty blue eyed Gryffindor.

Lily opened her eyes slightly when she heard the shuffling from the seat across from her. She felt a smile grow on her face as she saw that her best friend was currently wrapped snuggly in the arms of the Marauder's shyest member. She allowed her eyes to close once more as she was lulled to sleep by the rhythmic clatter of the train on the tracks.

* * *

><p>Olivia opened her eyes a while later. She blinked a few times, confused by the position she was currently in. She felt that her head against something soft and glanced up when she suddenly remembered what had happened.<p>

_I fell asleep!_ She said to herself. _And not only did I fall asleep, I fell asleep on Remus!_

Feeling her face begin to flush with embarrassment, she began pulling away from the still sleeping boy but was promptly pulled right back into his chest. At that point, she noticed the strong arms that were wrapped tightly around her. Apparently the sleeping Remus was not ready to let her leave just yet. She glanced around the compartment and saw that, thankfully, everyone was still asleep.

Olivia tried to decide if she needed to move. On one hand, Remus was obviously comfortable with their position, but she didn't know how awkward it would be between them after everyone woke up and realized what had transpired. She wasn't even sure if this meant anything at all. Growing restless with indecision, she just decided to go back to sleep and let Remus make of it what he wanted. She was comfortable and still sleepy. She gently repositioned herself against Remus and lightly closed her eyes, falling back asleep almost instantly.

* * *

><p>Remus opened his eyes after hearing the rustling of his friends across the compartment as they began to rise from their naps. He could feel that the train was beginning to slow, so he reasoned that they must be close to King's Cross. He looked down and smiled at the brown haired girl sleeping soundly in his arms. She looked so peaceful that he almost didn't have the heart to wake her. It just felt so right to hold her like this.<p>

"Hey, Prongs! Looks like there seems to have been a bit of excitement on the other side of the compartment!"

Remus grimaced. _This could be bad_.

"Moony, you old dog! I didn't think you had it in you!"

"Shh, guys. She's sleeping." Remus whispered.

Lily leaned up and began stretching in a cat-like manner. "Well, you may as well go ahead and wake her. We are almost there." She smiled pleasantly at Remus.

Remus smiled back at the redhead, thankful for the approval that she seemed to be giving he and Olivia. He looked around to see everyone beginning to gather their belongings. Seeing the opportunity for a little privacy while everyone was otherwise occupied, Remus began to wake the sleeping girl.

"Liv." He whispered lowly.

Olivia didn't move.

"Liv." He whispered again. Again, she didn't move at all. Before he could stop himself, Remus reached down and gently brushed Olivia's cheek with the back of his hand. Worried that she'd wake up in the middle of his affectionate gesture, he quickly yanked his hands down to her shoulders and began to nudge her softly.

Olivia began to stir as he continued to shake her gently. Remus felt his heart pound loudly as Olivia nuzzled her face into his chest, trying to get away from whatever it was trying to wake her.

"Liv."

"Mm?"

He smiled at her sleepy behavior. "We are almost at the station. It's time to get up."

Olivia realized where she was and hastily jerked herself into an upright position, embarrassment flooding her cheeks as she began to apologize to Remus.

"Remus, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep all over you like that!"

Remus chuckled as his amber eyes danced brightly. "It's alright Liv. I was actually quite comfortable myself." He answered with a smile.

Olivia felt herself calm down a bit, happy that he was not put out with her.

"I just hope I wasn't a bother to you."

Remus looked at her directly before speaking in a strong voice.

"Olivia. You are never a bother to me."

Olivia's cheeks flushed once more as she smiled shyly up at Remus.

"Oi! Are you two coming or not?" Sirius yelled at the pair.

"Yeah, Liv. I want to get to my house before the break is over!" James added.

Olivia chuckled at the two boys before she began to gather her trunk and other belongings. Five minutes later, the train had stopped and everyone had begun to exit to the platform. Olivia reached for her trunk, but Remus grabbed it from her before she had a chance.

"I'll get it for you, Liv." He said kindly.

"No, I don't want you to hurt yourself carrying both." She said with a voice laced with concern.

Remus simply rolled his eyes as he began easily carrying the trunks towards the platform.

Olivia hopped onto the platform into the throng of people. The crowd was massive with everyone reuniting and hugging with their families. Olivia stopped as she saw a young girl greet her parents nearby. The girl's mother leaned down and gave her a kiss on the head while the father hugged both of them as love radiated obviously from his face. Olivia felt a pang of sadness in her heart as she realized that this would be the first Christmas that she would not spend with her family.

"Liv! Come on!" James yelled at her.

Olivia turned and looked at her friends standing together on the platform waiting for her. They were all smiling at her which made her so thankful that she had a group of such great friends. She began making her way towards the group.

"There's my parents over there!"

Olivia watched as James ran over to a slender woman with short brown hair. Standing beside her was a man whom was the spitting image of James. He was tall with short, slightly messy, brown hair and a pair of thick-rimmed glasses. Olivia walked up to the two just as James was released from an embrace by his mother.

"Mum, Dad, I'd like you to meet one of my very best friends, Olivia. Olivia, these are my parents, Harold and Rose Potter."

Olivia smiled kindly at the man and woman standing in front of her.

"Hello. It's so nice to finally meet you both."

"It's nice to meet you as well, Dear. James has told us so much about you." Mrs. Potter said to her.

"I hope I'm not imposing on you..."

Mr. Potter cut her off. "Oh, pish-posh. Any friend of James' is always welcome at our home."

"And I'm excited that there will finally be another girl in the house." Mrs. Potter added with a smile.

"Hi, everyone!" Sirius shouted as he barged into the circle.

"Hello, sweetheart. Have you had a good year?" Mrs. Potter asked.

"Yes, ma'am."

Mrs. Potter narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. "Have you and James been causing any trouble?"

"Of course not!" They said simultaneously.

She continued looking at the pair suspiciously before her face broke into a grin.

"Alright, then." Mr. Potter interjected. "Let's get the trunks together and start heading towards the house."

Olivia turned and began looking for Remus. She finally found him as he seemed to be doing the same for her.

"You'll write me over the break, yes?" She asked him hopefully.

"Sure, I will." He answered honestly. "Only as much as you want me to, of course."

Olivia thought for a moment. "Every day." She said solemnly.

She reached up and hugged him tightly around the waist as his arms came down and wrapped around her shoulders.

"I'll miss you." She whispered sadly.

She had become so accustomed to being able to spend time with him every day that she knew that she was really going to miss him over the holiday.

"I'll miss you too, Liv." He whispered back. "But don't worry. I'll be over at James' place in a week or so."

"Remus! Come along!"

Remus and Olivia turned at the sound of a slender lady with bright amber eyes calling Remus. Olivia knew by the resemblance that that was Remus' mother. He looked very much like her.

"Well, I guess I will see you in a few days, then." Remus said.

"Yes. I'll see you then."

Before Olivia turned to leave, she reached up and grabbed the front of Remus' shirt and pulled him down to her eye level. She planted a firm kiss on the side of his cheek, exceptionally close to the corner of his mouth. Remus could feel his stomach flop as he watched Olivia give him one last smile before scurrying away after James and Sirius.

"You ready, Liv?" James asked.

"Yeah. How are we traveling?"

"Side-a-long apparition. Mum is going to take Sirius, and Dad will be taking you and I."

James saw Olivia's face pale. "You've never apparated before?"

Olivia shook her head. James' father saw Olivia's nervousness and came forward to comfort her.

"Don't worry, Olivia. It will be a bit uncomfortable since it's your first time, but everything will be fine." He reassured her.

Olivia, still looking a bit apprehensive, watched as James walked up to Mr. Potter and grab hold of his arm. She then took his other arm that he offered to her, and in the blink of an eye, she had been pulled into complete darkness.

Her first apparition, to put simply, was extremely unpleasant. Being raised by muggles, she was not used to wizarding travel as James and Sirius were. The apparition could be compared to being shoved into a tiny rubber tube. It was difficult to breath and see. The entire experience only lasted a few seconds, but as soon as their feet hit solid ground once more, Olivia felt as though she would sick up all over the place.

She slid to her knees, closed her eyes, and attempted to take deep, relaxing breaths, trying to force her nausea back down. Mrs. Potter came over to her as soon as the group arrived.

"There, there, Dear. A bit peaky for your first time?"

Olivia merely nodded.

"Let's go in and get a spot of tea, then, yes?"

Olivia followed Mrs. Potter into the house, which could more accurately be described as a mansion. It was absolutely huge, with many surrounding hills and pastures. Olivia knew that James' family was one of the more wealthy families in the wizarding world, but she never realized just how wealthy they were until that moment.

Mrs. Potter led Olivia to an immaculate kitchen where she began to put the kettle on to boil.

"So Olivia, how are classes going?"

"They are going very well."

"And are James and Sirius behaving themselves?"

"As well as can be expected." Olivia replied with a smile.

At that moment, James and Sirius walked through the kitchen door.

"Hey! We resent that!" Sirius cried.

"Yeah! Someone has to show those Slytherin twits that they can't do whatever they want!"

"James." Mrs. Potter scolded gently. She set a platter of tea and biscuits down on the table in front of Olivia, who took a cup and a biscuit and began to eat slowly, finally feeling the nausea ease.

"James, after tea, you can show Olivia her room where she'll be staying while she's here. Will Remus or Peter be coming to stay any over the break?"

"I don't think Peter will. His mum usually has plans for them, but I know Remus will be here soon. He won't be able to stay away from Olivia for very long." He finished cheekily.

"James!" Olivia shouted, outraged at his implication.

Mrs. Potter pretended to not have understood James' insinuation and continued talking to the three. "Alright then. Well, out you go, you lot. Go and show Olivia around."

Olivia's room turned out to be twice the size of her room back home. It was located on the second floor, and Olivia was sure she would have never found it had James not specifically shown her. The bed in her room was large with countless feather pillows strewn all over it. The room was bright and open due to the floor-to-ceiling windows that expanded across an entire wall. Connected to her room was a private bathroom, equipped with a large tub and shower.

After checking out her room, Olivia began to unpack her things and placing them into drawers and her walk-in closet. As she did, she began to think that maybe this vacation wouldn't be as bad as she had originally thought it would be.

She was wrong. Olivia sighed audibly as she lay facedown on the bed in the Potter's guest bedroom. On the morning after she arrived, James and Sirius had declared war on her. Between snowball ambushes, her bed being placed on the roof, and not to mention the countless times she had been glued to various pieces of furniture that she unsuspectedly sat on, she could honestly say that she had grown quite tired of the two boys pranks.

Out of desperation, she had holed up inside her bedroom. Literally barricaded herself in solitude to escape the immaturity of two of her oldest friends. On the bright side of being on lockdown, she had ample time to write letters to her friends. She gave Athena a letter that was addressed to Lily, and sat back down at the desk that was to the side of the room, considering the next letter to write.

Just as he had promised, Olivia received a letter from Remus every day. They had only been on break for just over a week, and already she felt as though she were suffering from withdrawals from her friend. She sat at the desk and began penning a reply to him when she heard a banging coming from her door.

"Come on out, ya coward!" Sirius yelled.

"Yeah! You can't stay locked in there forever!" James added.

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Go away, you silly twits! I'm trying to answer my mail!"

There was silence at the door for a moment.

"Oooo! Answering your mail? Did ya hear that, Prongs? She's returning her love letters from Moony!" Sirius yelled in a sing-song voice.

Olivia became annoyed as she heard the two boys behind the door erupt into fits of laughter before turning to run down the stairs. She barely heard James as he yelled back at her.

"Don't think you can avoid us forever! We will be waiting for you when you come out!"

Olivia frowned at the boys' threat. She was sick of their silliness. She sat down at the desk to continue the letter to Remus, but stopped after only a few moments. Maybe it was time to give the two pranksters a taste of their own medicine. She had been able to sneak out a few nights ago and practice again with her animagus form, and being in the alternate form had become second nature to her. Olivia's mouth began to mold into an evil smirk.

_Yes, I'll get my revenge on James and Sirius, and I know just how I'm going to do it._

* * *

><p><em><strong>So there it is! How did everyone like it? Let me know what you think! Thanks!<strong>_

_**P.S.-I was sorely disappointed that I didn't get a single review for the last chapter... :(**  
><em>


	8. Christmas Holidays: Part 2

_**Hi everyone! So, here is the next chapter. Hope you all enjoy it! Thanks so much to Greeneyesdontlie, Lord of Liz, and invisible-gurl for the reviews on the last chapter! They mean the world to me! This is part two of the Christmas Holidays. There will probably be one more chapter on the holidays, and then it will be back to Hogwarts, so please, please please review! I am on my knees begging! Thanks everyone!**_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8-Christmas Holidays: Part 2<strong>

Olivia watched from the window of her bedroom in the Potter estate as the snow fell into perfect little piles of fluff on the lawn. It was December 22, which meant that Christmas was only three days away, and, more importantly, Remus would be coming to spend the rest of the holidays with them.

She was really missing Remus. At Hogwarts, Olivia was able to see and be with him every day. Granted, Remus had kept true to his promise by writing to her every single day. He wrote of his family, and of his little brother, Tyler, who around the same age as her own little sister. Olivia smiled to herself as she thought of how Remus talked about his little brother. It was easy to tell that they were very close, and Remus absolutely adored Tyler. In return, Olivia wrote about what she, Sirius, and James had been up to, and how much she missed him.

But today, Olivia was pushing thoughts of Remus out of her mind. Today, she was thinking about the prank she was planning to pull on James and Sirius. She knew that it was going to be hard to pull off, but she had tried to work the details down, and she had been working with her animagus form almost nightly. She was completely comfortable in her form now, and she knew that she was ready to let her two friends in on her secret. Well, at least let them see her animagus, at least.

She was brought back from her daydreaming when she saw James and Sirius walk out onto the lawn with their brooms in hand. She smiled to herself as they began flying. Those two were so predictable. There wasn't a day that went by that they didn't practice for Quidditch.

Olivia knew that she would have about thirty minutes before they would take a break, so she went over the plan one more time in her head before leaving her room. She scampered down the stairs and quickly slipped out the front door before doubling back around the the back yard of the house into the woods beyond where James and Sirius were flying. She decided to take cover just beyond the tree line and crouched behind a large bush. She could hear James and Sirius' voices as they whipped back and forth between each other on their brooms. Olivia knew that she had a few more minutes before they would stop to rest, so she prepared herself to wait.

Olivia closed her eyes and began inhaling deeply. She had become quite good at changing to her animagus form, but it still took loads of concentration. She continued her breathing and began to feel for her center energy. Finding her center energy was by far the hardest part of transforming. It was like trying to find a miniscule ball of light in the deepest part of your being. It had taken her weeks after weeks to finally be able to locate her center energy.

Once she felt it, she allowed that energy to flow throughout her body. Olivia could feel the heat of transformation as she began slowing sinking to the ground. When she finally opened her eyes, Olivia was standing on all fours. She shook out her fur vigorously and sat down on her haunches.

_And_ now,_ we wait._

* * *

><p>"Hey, Padfoot! Let's break for a bit. I want to get some water!"<p>

"Sounds good to me, mate."

James steered his broom down to the spot on the lawn where he and Sirius had laid their water jugs. He muttered a quick heating charm on the snow on the ground, melting it instantly, and took a seat on the dully colored grass below. Sirius joined him only moments later.

"I'm beat, mate." James said as he laid down on the grass.

"Me too. But we need to run through those new plays we talked about before calling it quits." Sirius responded before flopping out on the newly-dried grass beside his best friend.

"Yeah, and we also need to try and figure out how to stop Ravenclaw's new chaser."

"Definitely. He's the only thing that's keeping us from blowing them out of the water." Sirius agreed.

They fell into an easy silence as they drank their water and rested, before Sirius turned to James again.

"Have you seen Olivia today? I wonder if she's still testy about us turning her hair blue?" He snickered.

"How can she still be angry? It wore off the next day, and she did say that blue was her favorite color."

Sirius laughed. "I don't think she likes-..."

Sirius was cut off by the rustling of leaves near a bush across the lawn. James turned to scan the bush as well.

"What was that?" Sirius asked.

"Probably just a bird or something." James dismissed.

The two boys turned back towards the bush when it began rustling again.

"Must be a big bird."

"Wait, look! There's something coming out from behind it!"

"What is it?" Sirius asked.

"Some type of animal." James squinted his eyes at the form that just emerged from the tree line. It was hard to make out the animal. It was walking on all fours, but the snow was making it hard to distinguish any other features. As it continued to get closer to the boys, James' was able to see that it's fur was a pure and milky white. It blended in perfectly with the snow that it was walking through. The sound of James' sharp intake of air emitted from his mouth as James realized what was currently walking towards them.

"Err, Sirius?" He asked quietly as he began taking small steps backwards.

"What?" Sirius asked, confused at James' odd behavior. "What are you doing?"

"We might need to figure out an escape route, and quick."

"Why? What the bloody hell is it?"

James took a few deep breaths of air, trying to calm himself, before answering the boy beside him.

"It's a wolf."

* * *

><p>Olivia smiled to herself as she continued slowly walking across the vast lawn. Her keen sense of sight allowed her to see the look on the two boys' faces, which were fixed into a mix of fascination and slight nervousness. She forced herself to stick to her plan and not just charge at them to scare their bollucks off. When she got closer, she began phase one of her plan and began limping.<p>

"Hey, it looks like it is hurt, Padfoot."

"Well, what do you want me to do about it?"

"I don't know. Help it?"

"It'll eat us!"

"Maybe not if we approach it very slowly."

Olivia stopped and laid down several feet from them. She made sure to hold her back leg awkwardly and let out a few whimpers to make sure her point got across.

"See, Padfoot? It's hurt. It just wants some help."

Sirius sighed exasperatedly. "Alright, but if it starts to eat you, don't blame me."

"Well, if it starts to eat me, change to Padfoot and get it off of me. Alright?"

"Alright." Sirius said doubtfully.

James began slowly making his way towards the injured wolf while speaking in soothing tones. Everything seemed to be going well as he had finally made his way right up to the side of the animal. As he began to reached down a tentative hand, the wolf's demeanor plummeted.

Olivia wasn't going to make it easy for him. As soon as James reached down, she began growling fiercely at him low and threateningly. James, preferring to keep his hand, snatched it back quickly, and Olivia stopped growling. After a moment, James tried again with the same results. This went on over and over again, until James began to get frustrated.

"How am I supposed to help if you won't let me touch you!" He yelled angrily.

Olivia laughed inwardly to herself at James' fit that he was currently throwing. Finally deciding to go on with step two of her plan, she decided to give him a break. She hauled herself back onto her feet and began to limp towards him.

James froze as he watched the animal walk towards him. He didn't dare move a muscle that could possibly upset the already ornery wolf. His eyes widened in shock as it began sniffing his hand before it licked it cautiously. After a few moments, it plopped back onto the ground.

James looked back at Sirius. "Does that mean it likes me?"

Sirius shrugged his shoulders.

Again, James reached down to try to touch the wolf's head. This time, much to his surprise, the wolf allowed the gesture. James began to smile as he began rubbing the wolf's head and back gently.

"Look, Padfoot. It likes me!"

Sirius smiled back as he began closing the distance between him and the pair on the ground.

"That was brilliant, James! Ok, so what are we going to do now? I don't know about you, but I'm no veterinarian."

"Veterinarian?"

"Muggle animal healer. Liv told me about them once." Sirius smiled.

James looked at the injured leg extensively. He began doing a bit of poking and prodding, and occasionally, Olivia would growl dramatically to feign what was supposedly hurting.

"Well, I'm no 'vetamarington' either, but I really don't think anything is broken. It must just be a sprain."

"Well, what are we going to do with it? We can't just leave it out here. It won't be able to hunt with that leg." Sirius said.

"We can figure something out."

James and Sirius continued sitting on either side of the wolf petting and rubbing it affectionately while trying to figure out a plan. Olivia tried to continue pushing things in her favor as she laid her head in Sirius' lap and whined softly.

"I know!" James said suddenly.

Sirius looked up hopefully.

"Let's take it up to my room!"

"Err, James, I don't know how your mum would like that."

"So we just won't tell her! Come on, we can pull it off! We'll just hide it in the bathroom when we go out, and it can just stay in the room when we are there. It can rest while its leg gets better and we can make sure that it gets food."

By this time, Sirius was smiling. "Alright! This is going to be awesome!"

* * *

><p>Olivia didn't think her plan could have gone any more perfectly as James and Sirius cautiously picked her up together and began slowly walking with her towards the house, occasionally checking to make sure she wasn't getting aggressive.<p>

After successfully sneaking the "wild" wolf into the bedroom, James and Sirius set up a small pallet in the bathroom and locked the door.

"We need to go find it some food." Sirius reasoned logically.

"Yeah. Do you think it will be ok in here for a while?"

"I guess so. Is it a boy or girl wolf?"

"I have no idea." James answered honestly.

"Well, let's find out."

It dawned on Olivia what Sirius was about to do as he began to take a step towards her. She stood quickly, being sure to mind the fake limp in her back leg, and growled at him with all of the feroscity she could muster. Apparently, she was quite terrifying, because Sirius immediately backed off.

"Um, maybe not." James suggested.

"No problem. I have other ways of finding out."

With that said, Sirius shifted forms and immediately fell onto four feet. Padfoot then proceeded to sniff the air deeply before changing back into his human form.

"Looks like we've got a little lady, here, Prongs. Well, as far as I can tell it's a 'she'."

"Excellent! Brilliant thinking, Padfoot!"

"What else did you expect?" Sirius said with a grin.

Liv rolled her eyes at the handsome boy's cockiness.

"Alright. Well, now that we have her all settled, let's go downstairs and see if we can't find something for her to eat for the next few days."

"Sounds good to me." Sirius agreed.

Liv watched as the boys shut and locked the door to the bathroom before hurrying out of James' bedroom. As soon as she knew they were out of earshot, she quickly shifted back to her human form. She walked quietly to the door and listened for a moment before easily unlatching the lock and walking into the bedroom. She smirked at how easy it was the predict what the boys would do. She looked around the room for a moment and figured that she had less than twenty minutes before the boys were sure to return to check on her, so she needed to make this quick.

She swiftly shifted back into her wolf form and walked over to the blinds hanging in front of one of the bedroom windows. Looking at it for a moment, she reared back onto her back legs and placed her razor sharp front claws on the delicate material. Before giving herself a chance to back out of the plan she forcefully pulled down on the curtains, shredding them to bits.

Olivia stepped back and looked at her handiwork. Pleased with the results, she turned to the rest of the room and began completely destroying it. She ripped any and all fabric with her claws and even scratched large divets into the furniture. In fifteen minutes, Olivia was done, and the room was an utter catastrophe.

With a huge wolfy grin on her face, Olivia surveyed her work. Feeling that everything was perfect, she switched back to her human form. Making sure the door to the bathroom was open, she left the bedroom and began making her way downstairs. Arriving in the kitchen, Olivia saw, predictably, James and Sirius had their heads shoved into the fridge while Mrs. Potter was cutting up vegetables for dinner.

"Mum! We're starving! Is there anything to eat in here?"

"It's almost dinner time, James. You two can just wait until then!"

"But Mum, we're growing! We have to eat now!"

"Yeah, Mrs. Potter. Our metabolism is a lot higher than most everyone else." Sirius chimed in.

Mrs. Potter rolled her eyes and sighed. "Fine. There are a few biscuits in there and I also think there is a bit of leftover...what?" She asked when she noticed James and Sirius' expression.

"Do we have any steak?"

"What! Steak? We are about to eat, Son!"

Olivia opted to speak up.

"Hey, James. What happened to your room?"

All three heads in the kitchen perked up at the question.

"What do you mean, 'what happened to his room'?" Mrs. Potter asked while narrowing her eyes at her son.

James looked at Olivia with a nervous glance. He wasn't sure how long they had been downstairs and he tried his best to send Olivia a meaningful looked that told her to drop the subject. Apparently, she didn't get the hint.

"Well, I was just wondering if you two had cast an awry spell or something. Judging by the state of the room, that's the only explanation I could come up with."

Mrs. Potter rounded on James as soon as she heard the word "quidditch". "JAMES POTTER! What have I told you about rough-housing inside this house!"

Olivia arranged her features into an innocent frown of concentration. "Surely you two didn't wreck the room ." She turned to James and Sirius who were both wearing identical looks of terror. "You did? James, really." She said with mock disappointment. "You should really start listening to your mother."

With that said, Mrs. Potter turned to the boys. "Let's just go up there and see how much damage you two have caused." She seethed. Mrs. Potter swiftly turned on her heel and began stomping up the stairs.

James blinked a few times before screaming after his mother. "Wait! Mum, wait! It's not really that bad. Come on! Just go back downstairs and Sirius and I will handle it!"

Mrs. Potter didn't even acknowledge her son as she continued stomping up the stairs. As she reached James' room, she grabbed the handle and slung the door open agitatedly.

James was right on his mother's heels as Olivia and Sirius followed a few paces behind them. As Olivia reached the top step, she heard Mrs. Potter gasp. She smiled discreetly before placing her hands over her ears, expecting the explosion that was about to ensue.

"JAMES POTTER! **WHAT** HAVE YOU DONE?"

James walked into the room with his mouth hanging open. The wolf had completely destroyed everything in his room. He immediately turned to the bathroom door and paled when he saw the door ajar. James whipped around just as Sirius caught sight of the bathroom door.

"Mum. It's not what you think!" James pleaded with his mother.

"Well, please, by ALL means, explain to me what happened here."

James stood for a few moments in front of the piercing gaze of his mother, trying to decide how he was possibly going to explain that he and Sirius snuck a wolf inside the house. He took a chance and glanced at Sirius, who was subtly shaking his head.

"Errr...umm..." James stuttered. "Well, you see, it's like..."

James' shoulders sagged before making eye contact with his mother once again. "Sirius and I decided to play a quick quidditch game, and it might have gotten a little out of hand." He finished with his head bowed.

Mrs. Potter was seething. "That's what I thought. James Potter, you are grounded for the rest of the holidays. No going out, no dueling, no 'experimenting' with spells, and no Quidditch!" She comanded with a harsh voice. "Sirius, that goes for you too, young man."

"Yes ma'am." The two boys said simoultaneously.

Olivia, on the other hand, was ecstatic. She had just managed to get the two troublemakers grounded for almost two weeks. That meant that she would actually be able to enjoy the rest of her break without worrying about the constant threat of pranking.

Mrs. Potter gave one more threatening look at the two boys before turning to leave the room.

"Thanks a lot, Liv!" Sirius said angrily. "You just got us in a load of trouble."

"It's not my fault that you two destroyed James' room."

"You didn't have to go and tell her though, did you?" He retorted.

Olivia narrowed her eyes at the two Marauders with a cocky smile on her face. "Well, maybe I would have been able to keep my mouth shut if the two of you hadn't been giving me such a hard time lately."

Sirius' jaw hit the floor as he realized that Olivia unintentionally telling Mrs. Potter about the room was not so unintentional after all.

"Wha-? You, you...!" Sirius stuttered.

Olivia sashayed over to Sirius, whose mouth was still hanging open. She put her finger underneath his chin and pushed it close.

"Close your trap, Siri. It's just not an attractive look for you." She said before grinning evily and walking out of the bedroom triumphantly.

Sirius stood there dumbly looking at the door. Finally, he seemed to find his voice again.

"Wow. Looks like our little girl is all grown up." He said with a trademark smirk. "I know it's crazy, but I've got to admit, I'm a little proud of her."

"Padfoot, I think we have bigger problems, here." James said.

"Like what?"

"Like the fact that there is a wild wolf somewhere in this house!" James yelled.

Sirius' response was drowned out by the sound of a thunderous, piercing, howl coming from the downstairs.

* * *

><p><em><strong>And there it is, folks! What will Olivia do next? Stay tuned for the next installment of "Light in the Darkness" to find out! And don't forget to REVIEW! <strong>_


	9. Christmas Holidays: Part 3

**_Hi everyone! Let me go ahead and apologize for the insane amount of time that it has been since I updated. *Gets down on her knees* Please, please, PLEASE forgive me! I promise that it won't be anywhere NEAR as long for the next update. I just have to get through final exams and then I am free to write for however long I want to every single day. So hang in there! This will most likely be the last chapter before they will be back at Hogwarts for the Spring term._**

**_Thanks so much to _****_FleurSuoh_****_ and _****_Cooky Crumbla_****_ for the reviews for the last chapter! I love the encouragement!_**

**_As for the rest of you, be sure to let me know what you think!_**

* * *

><p>Chapter 9<p>

"Remus, you should have been here! It was the most amazing thing I have ever seen!" James yelled excitedly.

"Seriously, Moony. She had fur as white as snow, and her teeth were razor sharp. She was beautiful." Sirius sighed almost reverently. "She was the most magnificent animal I have ever seen." He finished with a glassy look.

"Err, Padfoot? Do you need a moment alone?" Remus joked.

Sirius blinked a few times before shaking his head and saw Remus and James laughing. "Oh, shove off, you two. It's not my fault I'm part canine. I can't help it when I see a pretty girl, err, wolf." He corrected in a huff.

Olivia muffled a snicker from her perch on the love seat across the room. The four friends were sitting in the living room of the Potter's house, and James and Sirius were filling Remus in on their run-in with the "wild animal."

It was Christmas day, the first time that Olivia had ever spent Christmas without her family, and she couldn't deny she had been quite sad. She really should have known that James and Sirius would not allow any of her sadness on their favorite day of the year. The dynamic duo had taken it upon themselves to ensure that Olivia had the best Christmas possible.

_*Flashback*_

_Olivia had been woken up before the sun was even peaking over the tree line by two large masses canonballing onto her bed. It had scared her half to death, but she had found it hard staying mad at the pair after seeing the excitement plastered all over their faces. They had, quite literally, dragged Olivia down the stairs to where a monstrous pile of presents were awaiting her. Olivia's eyes grew wide as she took in the multitude of colors that were sitting at her feet. She glanced up and saw that James and Sirius were towering over her with identical grins._

_"Happy Christmas, Liv!" They both shouted simultaneously._

_"T-This is all for me?" She whispered._

_"Of course, it is, silly girl!" Sirius teased._

_"Yeah, you must be really popular." James added with a grin._

_The two Marauder's spun on their heels quickly and flew towards the tree, grabbing gift boxes and showing each other playfully. In a matter of moments, the only sounds that Olivia could hear were those of ripping paper and the occasional "ooh's" and "aahh's"._

_Olivia began to slowly rift through her pile of gifts. She began opening the beautifully wrapped boxes as Mr. and Mrs. Potter walked groggily into the room to watch the festivities from the large couch._

_A while later, Olivia had opened many of her presents and was currently surrounded by a multicolored assortment of wrappings. She smiled as she glanced down at her gifts. Mary and Peter had each gotten her a variety of her favorite candies, Margaret had gotten her a matching scarf and hat. Sirius and James, surprisingly, had gotten her a beautiful new rucksack for her books. Their gift to her was thoughtful, shockingly so, since her old bag had ripped during the week before classes dismissed for the break. Olivia had bombarded them both with hugs after opening the present and made sure to shower them with love and thanks as they beamed with pride at pleasing their friend._

_She turned back to her pile and noticed a large, flat, silver box. Her gift from Lily. She slowly began unwrapping the dainty paper until she finally managed to open the box. Lying in the folds of tissue paper was a large book. Olivia opened the front cover and felt a tug at the corners of her mouth. On the first page of the book was a picture of the Marauders with her, Lily, Margaret, and Mary. She smiled broadly as she remembered taking the photo near the lake after finishing their O.W.L.S. back in 5th year._

_Olivia turned to the next page and almost gasped. Staring back up at her was the eleven-year old forms of Lily, Severus, and herself. Their first year at Hogwarts. She continued flipping through the pages realizing that the book was filled with pictures of memories from their six years in school._

_A picture of James and Sirius both laughing as a soaking wet Margaret glared daggers at them._

_A picture of Sirius and Remus spiking the beverages at one of the Slug Club parties._

_Another one of Lily and Olivia hugging each other in the Great Hall, both wearing huge grins._

_Peter smiling bashfully at the camera before being hit with a snowball by a laughing Mary._

_Olivia continued rifling through the countless photographs when she noticed the tears in her eyes. She wiped the salty drops from her cheeks when a moving image in the book caught her eye._

_The girl was a vision of pure beauty in the dark navy gown. Her hair was loose and cascading down her back in beautiful waves. The lovely girl was smiling and laughing up at her partner as he whirled her around the dance floor flawlessly. She was gorgeous._

_The mystery girl's and boy's eyes were locked as if they were the only two people in the room. The world could have been falling apart around them, but they wouldn't have minded, just as long as they had each other._

_Olivia choked back her tears as she realized the girl in the photo was __her.__ She had not even realized that a picture had been taken as she and Remus twirled away happily during the Valentine's Day Ball last February._

_She remembered that she had planned not to go when her date cancelled on her at the last minute, claiming he had come down with a nasty fever after being bitten by a jobberknoll during Care of Magical Creatures. Olivia had been distraught after going through all the trouble of getting a dress and not being able to go._

_Needless to say, Remus stepped right in to cover and took Olivia to the Ball in place of the sick boy..._

"OI! Earth to Olivia, come in, Liv!"

Olivia blinked rapidly as she was snatched from her daydreaming by the three boys looking up at her with identical grins.

"Why are you yelling at me?" She asked.

"Well, we've been trying to get your attention for the last ten minutes, Love." Sirius said.

"Oops." She said as a hint of pink crept onto her cheeks. "So, what's going on?"

"Well, being one of the most brilliant minds of our time," James began.

Remus and Sirius snorted while Olivia rolled her eyes.

"...I have decided that we should take a trip to Diagon Alley before we have to go back to school." He finished dramatically.

"You and Moony here had planned to go anyways, right?" Sirius asked with a wink.

Olivia felt her face heat up as Remus stared at his shoes while nodding his head shyly.

"Well, lets just make a day out of it, yeah? We can all floo over together, you two can do your thing while Jamsie and I stock up at Gambol and Japes joke shop for the Spring term, then we can meet back up for family dinner!" He finished proudly.

Olivia laughed at the dark haired boy's obvious pride at coming up with a legitimate plan for once in his life.

"Strangest family there ever was." James added.

"Aww, but you know you love us." Remus chuckled.

* * *

><p>They had decided to go to Diagon Alley the day before Olivia's parents were to arrive back from America. Olivia leisurely got dressed knowing that there was no need to even attempt waking the boys up before 7 a.m. She pulled on a thick red sweater, skinny jeans, and a pair of warm boots before using a charm Lily had taught her to straighten her hair into glossy locks that flowed freely down her back.<p>

She looked down at her dresser and smiled as she picked up a silver necklace. She remembered Christmas night when Remus had stuttered and stalled before hastily shoving the long narrow box into her hand.

She unclasped the beautiful crescent-shaped moon necklace with a tiny silver star adorning the top and hooked it around her neck. After giving herself one last once-over, she sighed and began trekking towards the boys' rooms to get them up.

* * *

><p>"But why did we have to be here so early!" Sirius whined as he emerged from the floo at Diagon Alley.<p>

Remus chuckled. "Because, it gives us so much more time for activities!"

"But I'm so tired!"

The two turned as James came barreling through with Olivia right behind him, both laughing maniacally. Apparently, they had thought it would be a good idea to enter the floo at a run.

Sirius' eyes opened wide as James tackled him to the floor.

"Thanks, Pads!"

"Don't call me that!" Sirius moaned. "It reminds me of feminine products." He added with a disgusted look.

Remus had managed to catch Olivia before she crashed headfirst into the the tangled mess of boys on the floor of the pub they had flooed into.

Olivia wriggled around to face Remus who looked down at her in concern.

"You alright?"

"Yes. Thanks, Remy."

He arched an eyebrow at her. "Remy?"

Her smile broadened. "Yep. My new pet name for you." She said cheekily.

They continued standing there until they heard an exasperated sigh coming from beside them. Remus turned and saw that James and Sirius were both leaning against the wall smiling at their two friends.

"Are we going to go or just sit here watching you two?" Sirius asked lazily.

It was then that Remus realized his arms were still around the petite girl in front of him. He snatched his arms back and began walking out of the pub. "Of course! Let's be off, then!"

Olivia giggled. "Sirius, would you feel better if I bought you some breakfast?"

Sirius' demeanor changed instantaneously. "Breakfast!" He yelped happily. "Yes! Let's go get breakfast!"

The three remaining friends laughed as they followed the running Sirius through the few people walking the streets as he began singing loudly.

_**"Breakfast! Breakfast! You've just gotta love it,**_

_**you can't rise above it! Breakfast! **_

_**You won't get around it, let me hear you sound it! Breakfast! **_

_**Eggs, Bacon, Sausage, Pork! Let me see you raise your fork! Breakfast!"**_

Olivia turned to James. "Is this a common occurrence?"

James shrugged."He ate a lot of paint chips as a kid."

"People are going to think he's on Crack."

"Crack? James asked.

"Muggle drug. Very sketchy." Remus whispered.

Olivia laughed as the trio continued chasing their seemingly drugged up friend as he swerved down the streets singing.

* * *

><p>"That was brilliant." Sirius said happily as they made their way back onto the streets of Diagon Alley.<p>

"You can say that again." James responded.

"That was brilliant."

Olivia rolled her eyes at the duo before James spoke up again.

"So, Sirius and I are heading to Zonko's. Sure you two don't want to tag along?"

Remus didn't hesitate as he grabbed Olivia by the waist and began directing her down the street in the opposite direction. "No, I'm taking Liv to the bookshop! See you two for dinner at the Leaky Cauldron!" He said as they disappeared from sight.

James turned to Sirius with a smile. "Looky our little Moony all grown up."

Sirius pretended to wipe a tear from his eye. "I'm so proud."

* * *

><p>Remus smiled at the wonder on Olivia's face as they shuffled by the wizarding shops through the throng of people.<p>

"This place is amazing!" She whispered almost reverently. "Where are we going first?"

"Where would you like to go first?"

"Everywhere."

Remus chuckled. "Well, how about we stop at the bookstore first?"

"Yes, alright. Can we also go to the Owl Emporium so I can get some more food for Athena?" She asked as she looped her arm through snugly.

Remus smiled down at the fascinated girl. "I'll take you wherever you want to go." He promised.

* * *

><p>Several hours later, Olivia was exhausted, but happy as she and Remus walked into Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor.<p>

"Oooo, this looks delicious! What flavor are you getting, Remus?"

"Chocolate with nuts. What about you?"

"Umm...Raspberry with chocolate sauce."

"Alright. Go find us a table, and I'll grab them for us." He insisted.

Olivia smiled at him before turning and finding a booth in the back corner of the parlor. She placed her bags on the seat before sliding in afterwards and sighed in relief at being off her aching feet. They had had an amazing day. Just as he promised, Remus had shown her everything there was to see in Diagon Alley.

Olivia had been able to buy more food for Athena at the Owl Emporium and a few new uniform shirts from Madam Malkin's, not to mention they browsed the new arrivals at Flourish and Blotts for hours. Remus had also taken her to see the Apothecary, Potage's Cauldron Shop, The Telescope Shop, and even to Stalls for a few bars of chocolate and other sweets.

Of course, Remus, being the gentleman he was, did not allow Olivia to pay for anything, claiming that he was the man so therefore he would be the one in charge of the purchases. She had tried to argue with him, only to finally give up due to his downright refusal to let her pay for anything..

"Here we are!"

Olivia smiled gratefully as Remus placed a deliciously beautiful cup of ice cream in front of her as he sat down across the table with his own chocolate cup.

"So, where do you want to go next?" He asked before popping a spoonful of the dessert into his mouth.

"I'm not sure. Where haven't we been to yet?"

"Hmm...Let's see." He said as he leaned back in deep thought. He scooped another spoonful of ice cream into his mouth as he continued thinking before his eyes lit up. "I know where we can go!"

Olivia laughed at his sudden outburst.

"Where?"

Remus looked at her before giving her a sly smile. "It's a surprise."

She furrowed her brows and glared at the handsome boy in front of her halfheartedly before rolling her eyes.

"Don't worry. You're going to love it." He said with a smile.

* * *

><p>"We should have just enough time before we have to go meet the guys at the Leaky Cauldron" Remus said to Olivia as they made their way out of the ice cream parlor.<p>

"Are you going to tell me where we are going now?"

"Not a chance." He said with a laugh.

Remus grabbed her hand while still smiling before taking off merrily down the street. Olivia couldn't help but laugh at his silly behavior as they weaved their way through the now extremely crowded streets. In a few moments, the pair were standing in front of the surprise shop.

"What is this place?" Olivia asked.

"Well," Remus started a little anxiously. "I know that you haven't been able to see all of the different things the wizarding world has to offer, and I know how much you like animals, so I couldn't think of a better place to end our day than the Magical Menagerie. It's basically a wizarding pet shop." He finished hurriedly.

"This is amazing!" Olivia gushed excitedly. "What are we waiting for! Let's go in!" She said as she grabbed Remus' hand and quite literally dragged him inside.

Olivia had never seen such an enchanting place. There were animals of every kind inside the tiny little shop. It seemed as though every inch of it was covered in cages that held a variety of creatures. There were purple toads, firecrabs, and poisonous orange snails. She laughed when she saw a horde of rabbits that could turn themselves into shiny, silk top hats and back again. There were cats of every color, and even rats that played skipping games with their tails.

Remus watched in awe as the beautiful brunette ooh-ed and aww-ed at the animals displayed in the little shop. He was ecstatic that she seemed to be enjoying the place so much, but what he was even more happy about was that, not once, had she let go of his hand.

"Remus, look!"

Remus was pulled out of his little daydream by the object of his recent fantasies pointing out a sign in the back of the store that read, "Half-Kneazles."

"I've only read about Kneazles before...I've never actually seen one."

"Well, let's go over and meet one then, yes?"

Remus was rewarded with a dazzling smile as they made their way over to where the kittens were being kept in a large crate.

"Awww, look at the little sweeties." Olivia gushed. "They are just adorable!" She exclaimed as she reached down and began petting them.

Remus watched happily as Olivia played with the little furballs. It was a rather endearing sight, seeing something so innocent, but it seemed as though the kneazles were enjoying Olivia as much as she was enjoying them.

"Hello there, kids. Can I help you with something?" The manager of the store asked as he appeared from behind a shelf.

Olivia looked up from the little ball of black and gray fur that was purring contentedly in her arms. "Oh, no, thank you. We were just admiring these little cutie-pies." She answered before nuzzling the little kneazle with her nose, making it meow lovingly.

"Alright, then." The shopkeeper said kindly before stopping suddenly.

"Well, I'll be." He said when he looked down at the feline in Liv's arms.

"What?" Remus asked.

"That kneazle. I've had him for over two weeks now, and he has yet to let anyone near him, much less pick him up." He answered with a baffled look.

Olivia looked up. "Really? Why not?"

"Kneazles are extremely intelligent and magical creatures. They can sense different personality traits in people, and they don't allow themselves to bond with just anyone. I'd say that this little guy has made a connection with you. One that he probably won't make again." He finished before moving on to help a customer on the other side of the store.

Olivia placed the little kneazle back into the crate before turning to Remus with a worrisome look. "You don't think that's true, do you Remus?"

Remus felt helpless as he looked at her face that was contorted with sadness and said the only thing he could. "No, I think the little guy is going to be just fine."

Olivia sighed with relief as she wrapped her arms around Remus' waist and looked down at the crate. Remus immediately wrapped an arm around the girl's shoulders and pulled her close as he leaned down and gave her a soft kiss on the top of her head.

"Don't fret, Love."

* * *

><p>After leaving the kneazle behind at the store, Remus and Olivia began making their way to the Leaky Cauldron to meet up with Sirius and James. Olivia was glad that it was just a few stores down from the Menagerie because she was dead tired. Olivia spotted Sirius and James at a table as soon as they walked in.<p>

"Oi! Where have you two been! We've been waiting for ages!" Sirius complained.

"Now, Padfoot, we can't expect our two lovebirds here to dish out all of their secrets, now can we?"

Olivia blushed as Remus began to chuckle at the two boys.

"Well, stop running your gob and maybe we can order something to eat!" He shot back jokingly.

"Touchy bugger, isn't he?" Sirius asked.

"I think he's been hanging around us too long." James answered.

Olivia giggled at the boys before sitting down at the booth across the table from Sirius and James.

"So, how was your guy's day?" Remus asked as he slid into the seat

"Bloody brilliant!" James exclaimed. "We went to the Quidditch store and found some amazing new..."

Remus jumped slightly as Liv slipped her small hand into his underneath the table. He glanced over at her and saw a small, shy, smile on her face, even though she was still looking at James as he told them about their day. Remus felt a massive, goofy, grin form on his face as he intertwined his fingers with hers and held on tight, pulling her a little closer to him on the seat.

"...Remus, you should see some of the things we picked up at the Joke Shop. Spring term is going to be bloody fantastic."

Remus smiled at his friend, trying to pretend that he had heard everything that he had been talking about, when, in actuality, he couldn't stop thinking about the fact that he was currently holding the hand of the most gorgeous girl at Hogwarts.

The four friends ordered their food and ate while laughing and telling stories of their adventures from the day. A little while before sunset, James stretched out in his seat before addressing the group.

"Well, guys, I think it's about time to start heading back home."

After a murmur of agreement, they all quickly gathered their things and began walking towards the pub where they came from. Just before arriving, Remus stopped.

"Oh, bullocks! I forgot my jacket in the Leaky Cauldron!" He exclaimed.

He continued standing there looking miserable as the rest of the group looked at him.

"Well? Go and get it, you bloody idiot! We'll meet you inside." James said with a smile.

Olivia and Sirius snorted as the sandy haired boy took off through the still busy streets back towards the Leaky Cauldron.

"Isn't he supposed to be the smart one?" Sirius snickered.

"Hey! What about me?" Olivia said, offended.

"No, kitten. You are the gorgeous one." Sirius explained.

"I withdraw my complaint."

James laughed. "What about me?"

"Well, the way you chase after Evans, I'd say you had 'the desperate one' wrapped up."

Olivia burst into laughter as James glared at his best friend.

"And what would that leave you as?" He asked grumpily.

"The sexy one, of course."

Olivia groaned and rolled her eyes, just as Remus bounded back into the pub huffing and puffing with his hands on his knees and jacket clasped tightly in his hand.

"Wow, that was quick, Remy."

"Yeah, you must be quite the athlete." Sirius said as he felt Remus' bicep playfully.

"Yep...*puff*...I'm really...*puff* *puff*...talented...*puff*"

Sirius and James burst into laughter as they turned and stepped into the floo; Remus and Olivia following right behind them.

* * *

><p>It turned out to be an early night for everyone after arriving back at the Potter Estate. Sirius had fallen asleep as soon as he had flopped down on the couch in the living room. Olivia had attempted to wake him to try and make him go up to his room, but was almost whacked in the head until James pulled her away from him.<p>

"You can't go waking up Padfoot after he falls asleep like that." James chuckled quietly. "He tends to get a little violent."

Olivia's eyebrow rose questioningly. "Violent?"

"Think grizzly bear." Remus suggested.

"...with rabies." James said.

"...and a toothache."

"...and a sunburn."

"Sunburn?" Remus asked, looking at James.

James grinned. "It was the first thing that came to my mind."

Olivia snickered quietly before bidding the two boys goodnight and heading up to her room to get ready for bed. She quickly took a shower and put on her comfy, blue, cotton pajama bottoms with a fitted white tshirt before combing out her damp hair.

She turned when she heard a soft knock on her door. Opening it, she smiled when she saw that Remus was standing there holding the bag from the Emporium that belonged to her. She smiled, slightly confused, at seeing his mouth hanging open with wide eyes.

Remus realized that he had forgotten how to speak when he saw Olivia answer the door in her low-cut, fitted top and pajama bottoms with her damp hair flowing down her back. What killed him most, though, was seeing the necklace he given her resting at the start of her subtle cleavage.

"I-I forgot to give you your bag." He said after finally finding his voice.

"Oh, thanks, Remy." She said as she took the bag from him. She walked over to her rucksack that was lying in the corner of the room and placed the food inside an inner pocket before turning around to the boy at the door.

"So," Remus began, trying to find something to say that would allow him to be able to stay a few more minutes. "Did you have fun today?"

To his delight, Olivia's eyes lit up immediately. "Oh yes. I had an absolute blast. Thank you so much for taking me, Remus. You have no idea how much it meant to me." She finished sincerely.

Remus felt his cheeks begin to flush at her praise.

"Well, it was no problem. I'm just glad you didn't get bored with me." He mumbled shyly while looking down at the floor.

Olivia walked forward courageously and put her fingers underneath his chin, making him look up at her.

Amber eyes locked with blue, Olivia whispered, "I would never get bored with you, Remus."

Remus felt a jolt run through his body at the girl's heartfelt confession. He took a tentative step forward, closing the distance between the two until their bodies were flush. He could hear Olivia's breath quicken as his chest began to pound.

She snaked a hand up his chest before grabbing a handful of the front of his shirt, pulling him closer to her. Remus needed no other encouragement as one hand wrapped around her small waist and the other brushed her cheek softly before curling around the back of her neck. He looked into her eyes and felt a warmness flow throughout his body when he saw the absolute excitement and adoration that was being harbored there as she gazed lovingly back at him.

He could feel the dampness of her hair as he began lowering his head toward her, glancing quickly between her eyes and her lips. Olivia tilted her head up slightly, giving him better access, as her eyes began closing in anticipation.

Remus had never felt the way he did as he was just seconds away from kissing the girl of his dreams when a dreaded thought entered his mind.

_You're a werewolf!_

The thought was like a bucket of ice water pouring over his head. Remus stopped immediately as the realization started to kick in.

_You. Are. A. WEREWOLF._

"Remus?" Olivia asked, noticing that he was now pulling away from her.

_You are a half-breed mutt. She deserves better than you, Remus._

Remus saw that Olivia's face was now contorted in worry as he continued to back slowly away towards the door.

"Remus, what's wrong?"

_A monster. You could kill her for Merlin's sake._

"I'm sorry, Liv. I just can't do this." He said as he turned to walk down the hall towards his room.

"Remus, wait."

The sadness in her voice almost broke him. He wanted to run to her, kiss her a thousand times, begging for her forgiveness and apologize for ever making her feel that way, but he knew he couldn't. He turned and sucked in a sharp breath as he saw the tears brimming in her eyes.

_You'll KILL her._

Remus dropped his head, refusing to look at the girl whom he just crushed.

"I'm sorry, Olivia."

He shut the door to her room and quickly made his way to his own room down the hall, leaving the most important person in the world standing alone and crying in her bedroom. Remus hastily got ready for bed before flinging himself onto his mattress, burying his head into his pillow. He turned over and knew that it was going to be a sleepless night as he felt tears pricking at his eyes knowing that Olivia was crying herself to sleep tonight.

_And it's all my fault._

* * *

><p><strong><em>There it is! Remus totally blew it with Liv! How does everyone think Liv will handle it? Are they ever going to get together? Let me know what you think! Next up, back at Hogwarts! You can expect things to get worse before they will get better. Be sure to R&amp;R! Thanks!<em>**


	10. The Green Eyed Monster

**_Hello everyone! Here is the next chapter!_**

**_Thanks to invisible-gurl, who left the lovely review for the last chapter! It means the world! Now that I am finally done with all of my exams, (thank God) I should have more time to dedicate to updating more often. But remember, more reviews=faster updates! Enjoy!_**

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><p><strong><em>Chapter 10- The Green Eyed Monster<em>**

"He did WHAT?" Lily shouted at Olivia as the pair lounged on her bed in the girls' dorm at Hogwarts. They had arrived back at the school that evening, and Lily could immediately tell right away that something had happened between Remus and her best friend. As soon as she got the chance, she had cornered Olivia and demanded to know what happened.

Olivia sighed heavily, willing back the tears threatening to fill her eyes. "Yeah, he just kind of...ran off." She sighed again as she flopped her face into the pillow on Lily's bed.

"That prat!" She stormed in fury. "You just wait until I get my hands on that little son of a..."

She trailed off as she glanced down at her friend's face that was suddenly streaming with tears. Lily felt the anger drain from her for the time being as she sank down close to her friend before pulling her into a warm embrace. The two stayed like this for quite some time, neither saying anything as Lily held Olivia while she shook silently in complete sadness. Olivia held onto Lily as if she were a lifeline until, finally, she seemed to run out of tears. Sniffling and trying to catch her breath, she wiped away the salty tears from her puffy red eyes.

"I really thought he liked me, Lil." She said sadly.

Lily felt the anger course through her veins once again and damned Remus for destroying her best friend like this.

"Well, honestly, I did too, Liv." She started hesitantly. "But if he is going to act the way he has, then he doesn't deserve someone as amazingly wonderful as you." She finished with a smile at her friend.

Olivia gave her a small smile and silently thanked the gods for giving her a friend as great as Lily.

"Thanks, Lily. I just wish I didn't feel so bloody miserable right now."

Lily thought for a moment. "Well, it's almost curfew anyways. What say you and I just call it a night and get some sleep? Things always look brighter in the morning."

"Alright. You're probably right, anyways." Olivia agreed solemnly.

Lily watched as her broken friend sadly pulled herself together and began dragging herself over to her own bed. The sight made her chest constrict painfully, hurt for her friend.

"Liv?"

Olivia stopped and turned back to the redhead with a tear-splotched face.

"Yeah?"

"Why don't you just stay in my bed with me? It'll be just like old times back in first year."

Back in first year, they were both just tiny eleven year olds who knew nothing about the world they had just been shoved into. Finding common ground with one another, they became fast friends. They, more often than not, spent the nights of their first year with each other, silently comforting the other when things got overwhelming, or they just got plain homesick.

Olivia smiled despite her mood and chuckled at her friend. "We were a lot smaller back then, though."

Lily pretended to looked affronted. "Are you telling me I'm fat?"

Olivia laughed as she shuffled back to Lily's bed and plopped down with her. Lily used her wand to close the curtains and muttered a quick silencing charm just in case Olivia felt like talking some more. She and Olivia snuggled down as Lily pulled Olivia into another hug.

"It'll at work out, Liv. Don't you worry on it. Remus is going to realize how bloody stupid he was."

Olivia hugged her friend tightly. "Thanks, Lily."

Olivia knew that over the years she and Lily had become extremely close, but it was at that moment when she realized just how close she was to the feisty redhead. Lily was, for all intents and purposes, her sister. Both being muggle-borns, they had acted as a support system for each other over the years, and not a single time had Lily's loyalty ever wavered. Olivia knew she was lucky to have such a great friend.

"Lily?" She whispered.

"Yeah?"

"You're my best friend, and I love you. Thanks for everything."

Lily beamed at the girl lying beside her.

"No problem. And I love you too. I'll always have your back. Don't forget that."

As Olivia closed her eyes, she knew that she would do anything in the world for her redheaded best friend she was currently snuggled up against. For once in her life, Olivia could honestly say that she was not looking forward to this term at Hogwarts in the least.

* * *

><p>"Mooooony! Wake up, wake up you sleepy head! You are going to get a sunburn sprawled across the lawwwwn!"<p>

"Padfoot" Remus growled, eyes still closed as he slapped the boy's hands away from his face.

"Ooo, you sound so sexy when you growl like that, Moony." Sirius said in a mock flirty voice.

"Shut it, you prat."

James laughed. "Uh, oh. It seems our 'ickle Moony is a bit grumpy today."

"Well, you would be too if Padfoot was sticking his fingers in your face while you were trying to sleep."

James' mouth set it a thin line as he thought. "Nah, that's not it. You've barely been tolerable ever since we came back to Hogwarts over a month ago."

Moony shrugged. "I have not. I'm just tired. The full moon was last week, and I still haven't quite gotten over it yet."

Sirius placed a finger on his chin thoughtfully. "No, I don't think that's it either."

Suddenly, a thought hit James. "Wait a minute...Would your little mood have anything to do with the girls being narked at us for some unfathomable reason?" He asked with narrowed eyes.

Remus winced at the thought. He couldn't say that the past month had been one that he'd like to remember. After the disaster in Olivia's room at the Potter estate that night, Remus had planned to apologize to her first thing the following morning. Only problem was that she had left before he woke to go and meet her parents. He had been devastated. Remus knew he had blown it with her, but at the time, he didn't realize the extent that he had ruined their friendship. He sent Olivia countless letters, but never did get anything back from her. Remus had convinced himself that he would make up with her on their way to Hogwarts, but Olivia never showed up in the compartment. In fact, none of the girls showed up in the compartment that they and the Marauder's normally shared.

Since then, she had avoided him like the plague, and the girls had basically cut the boys out of their lives completely. That is with the exception of Mary and Peter, of course. He was used to being able to spend numerous hours with Olivia, and now she had not murmured a single syllable to him in over a month. The silence was absolutely killing him.

The silence from Remus gave James the answer he was looking for, and he erupted.

"It is, isn't it?" He bellowed. "What did you do, Moony? Do you know that Lily has barely spoken to me at ALL since the term started?"

Remus felt anger course through his veins.

"It's complicated, ok?" He snapped.

"She had finally started treating me like a friend, Remus! Lily was finally starting to warm up to me! And now you have gone and ruined everything, you wanker!"

"Just shut it, James!"

James was still seething as he sat in silence for a few minutes. Peter and Sirius were looking on at the pair, waiting to watch the outcome. James took a deep breath, pushing his initial anger to the back of his mind, before addressing the werewolf in front of him.

"You did something to Olivia, didn't you?" James asked, looking Remus straight in the eye. "I honestly don't know what I did that would make Lily stop talking to me, but Olivia has been her best friend for years, and if you upset her, then it would turn Lily against us all as well."

Remus put his face into his hands as he sighed deeply. James had hit the nail on the head. He felt horrible that his being a jerk to Olivia had affected James delicate friendship with Lily, but he didn't know how to fix it. He looked up when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Moony?" Sirius asked in a gentle voice. "What happened?"

Remus huffed and relented, figuring they would find out sooner or later anyways. He turned to James, figuring he deserved an explanation the most, and began the nightmarish story.

"The night before Liv left your house during the holiday, I went to her room to give her one of her shopping bags that had gotten mixed with mine. Everyone was already in the bed, but she was still awake. After I gave it to her, she thanked me for taking her into Diagon Alley, and I told her that I was just glad that she didn't get bored with me."

Remus paused a moment, shutting his eyes when he thought about her next words to him.

"S-She told me that she would never get bored with me."

At this, Sirius and James began grinning broadly at the direction that the story seemed to be heading towards. Peter, on the other hand, had fallen asleep against the tree where they were sitting. Their smiles faltered somewhat though at seeing the still miserable face of their werewolf friend.

"Things started to get intense. She said that, and it was like, I don't know, l-like, I c-couldn't get my arms around her quickly enough." He stuttered. "I was nervous, but she just looked up at me with those big blue eyes, and I just knew everything was going to be alright."

Remus closed his eyes and stopped talking. James and Sirius waited patiently until they couldn't stand it any longer.

"So what happened?" Sirius practically yelled.

"I-I...I ran away." Remus finished miserably.

"What? You ran away? Why?" James asked.

Remus looked up into the faces of two of his best friends sternly.

"Guys, you KNOW what I am."

"What, a bloody idiot? Because that's the only thing that can explain someone who runs away from snogging a girl as hot as Liv."

"I'm a werewolf! It's too dangerous for her to get that close to me! What would happen if she got hurt? I wouldn't be able to live with myself."

Sirius shrugged. "Liv has known for years about your condition, Moony. She knows the risks."

Remus shook his head vigorously. "She just doesn't understand."

James began to feel angry at the somber boy in front of him again. Olivia was one of his very best friends and he didn't like to see her getting hurt. "Why are so afraid of her, Remus? You aren't even giving her a CHANCE to understand! She put herself out there, and you make a break for it! She's most likely crushed! Stop running away and, for once in your life, allow someone to care about you!"

"Prongs..." Sirius warned.

Remus looked at his friend, shocked at his sudden outburst. His head sank down in defeat as James, once again, tried to control his temper. He took a few moments to take a couple of deep breaths before addressing Remus again.

"Look, Moony, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lost my temper like that. It's just that we are your friends, and we want to see you happy. We know how cautious you are about letting people get close to you, but I just really feel like you should at least give Liv a chance."

Remus looked up at his friend whose eyes were clouded with worry.

"I just can't, James. I care about her too much to see something happened to her because of what I am."

Sirius and James looked at each other, knowing that they were fighting a losing battle, and decided to let it be for now.

James put a comforting hand on Remus' shoulder. "Well, alright. It's your decision, and at least I know what's going on with Lily now. Maybe I can get her to start talking to me again."

"I am sorry about the Lily part."

James smirked. "I know. And it's not really your fault. That's just how these girls are. If one of them is mad at you, then they are ALL mad at US."

At that point, Sirius launched himself onto the two boys, hugging their heads into his armpits.

"Awww, looky! We're all a family again! I'm just so happy!" He yelled as he wiped an imaginary tear away from his eye. "Now, let's go get some grub. I'm starved!"

Apparently, the mention of food was enough to wake Peter.

"W-wha, food? Yes, let's be off to the Great Hall, then, shall we?"

With that said, Peter hopped up from the ground and began making his way back up the hill towards the castle.

James and Remus laughed.

"You're always starved."

"I think he has worms." Remus suggested.

The two erupted into fits of laughter again as Sirius narrowed his eyes at them. Picking up his wand, he quickly flicked a stinging hex right into James.

"Ow! You prat! I'll get you for that!"

The two boys were off like a shot, Sirius laughing madly while James followed hot on his heels. Remus smiled as he got up and began following them, but his smile faltered when he realized he was going to have to watch Olivia and the girls eating their lunch at the opposite end of the Gryffindor table. Her absence was beginning to be a constant reminder of his massive screw-up and their basically non-existent friendship. Remus thought if he could just find a time to talk to her, maybe he could convince her to forgive him. Olivia just meant too much to him for him to allow her to just walk out of his life like this.

_Well, to allow myself to completely force her out of my life, I gues_s, he mentally corrected himself.

Feeling a little better, he vowed to himself that he would get his best friend back.

No matter what it took.

* * *

><p>Olivia was in the library writing her Transfiguration essay when a very excited Lily ran up to her table out of breath. She put her quill down and raised an eyebrow at the out-of-breath prefect.<p>

"Can I help you with something?" She asked with a smirk.

"Guess what!" Lily panted.

"Let me guess." Olivia said as she stroked her chin. "You ran into a group of manticore, and they begged you to run off with them and be their queen?"

"No, no! Wait, what? Never mind, you silly twit. Slughorn and Flitwick are starting up a dueling club!" She finished

Olivia grimaced at Lily's slightly raised voice, just waiting for the horrifying librarian to come stomping towards up to kick them out of the library. When it seemed as though she had missed her friend's squealing, she spoke.

"Well, that's cool, Lil. I'm assuming you've already signed up?"

"No, not yet! That's why I was coming to find you; so we can go and sign up now." She finished.

Olivia looked up quickly. "Me? That's a good one, Lily." She snorted.

Lily gave her a confused look. "What? What's wrong with you?"

"Everyone knows I'm dreadful at Defense. Much less dueling. I'd get pummeled!"

"All the more reason to sign up! Think of how much we can learn from actually being able to practice! It can only help us."

Olivia had to concede that the redhead had a point. Ever since her and Remus' "incident", she had avoided him, thus, losing her DADA tutor, and it had begun showing in her grades.

"Well, I do need the extra practice, I suppose..."

"Yes! Let's go sign up now! There's a list in the common room!"

Lily all but dragged Olivia all the way up to Gryffindor common room, chatting excitedly the whole way. As soon as they swept through the portrait hole, she yanked Olivia over to the sign up board and began writing her name down hastily. She handed the quill to Oliiva who looked down at the quill in her hand, then back up to her friend.

"I'm going to level with you here. I'm a little nervous. We all can admit that dueling is not my forte', and what if I'm paired with a Slytherin who has no intentions of easing up on me when they are kicking my arse?"

"Hmm...good point." Lily said thoughtfully. "I know! Why don't you and I meet up a couple of nights per week and we'll go through the basics together? The club doesn't start for two more weeks anyways, so we've got some time. You can easily learn enough to at least hold your own by then."

Olivia thought for a moment before smiling. "That sounds great! I mean, if you're sure you have time?"

"Of course."

Olivia pulled the quill up and signed her name with loopy handwriting on the sign up sheet.

"Thanks, Lil."

The portrait hole swung open again and in walked the Marauders. They had apparently just come up from lunch because Peter's hands were both holding a chocolate creme cupcake. Although Olivia desperately tried to melt into the wall to avoid the meeting, Sirius and James spotted the two girls immediately.

"Well, hello there strangers!" James said jovially. "Long time, no see, eh?"

"Hello, Potter." Lily answered neutrally.

James sighed. "Back to the 'Potter' bit, are we?"

Lily narrowed her eyes back at him.

Sirius bounded up to them and started flipping through the sign up sheet. "What are you two birds doing? Signing up for knitting club, perhaps? He asked playfully.

"For your information, no!" Lily snapped.

Olivia had made the effort to keep her eyes down to avoid the whole interaction, but looked up at Lily's rising anger. As soon as she did, she realized that Remus was staring straight at her. If she was being honest with herself, she would admit that he look downright miserable. The problem was that she wasn't being honest with herself at the time. But she had to admit that it was hard to stay mad at the sandy-haired boy when he was burning holes into her body with his intense gaze.

Remus was brought out of his stare-down by Sirius' excited voice.

"Hold the phones, Prongsie!"

"Phones?" Peter whispered to Remus. Olivia rolled her eyes at the chubby boy.

"Muggle saying." Remus whispered back.

"There is going to be a dueling club!" Sirius continued.

"What? That's brilliant!"

Sirius' smile broadened. "Hexing the shite out of those Slytherin gits without getting into trouble?"

"Where do we sign up?"

The group watched as James and Sirius began doing a very awkward jig with each other in the middle of the common room. It seemed to be an odd mix between a tango and total body gyrating.

Remus walked over to where the girls were and looked down at the list. Seeing Olivia's delicate signature at the bottom was enough to make him grab his quill and sign his own name without a second thought.

"Oi! Moony's getting a jump on us!" Sirius exclaimed as he ran over to the board and signed his own name.

"Let me borrow your quill, Padfoot."

"Where's yours?"

"Set it on fire and levitated it onto Dolohov's head." James responded with a shrug.

"Excellent!" Sirius responded as he handed over his quill.

* * *

><p>Two weeks flew by for Olivia, and before she knew it, it was the day that the dueling club was scheduled to start. Thankfully, Lily had kept her promise to work with Olivia almost every day over the past fortnight, and she could honestly say that she had shown great improvement. Olivia was proud of herself and sincerely greatful to Lily, but she also realized that she was still only average, at best, when it came to duelling.<p>

After the Marauders caught wind of what the two girls were doing, they, of course, tried to find out where they practiced, but Olivia and Lily were smart, and continuously changed their meeting places and time. They were happy that they had spent every practice session in peace and Marauder-free.

Olivia was waiting for Margaret, Lily, and Mary to join her in the common room before walking down to the Great Hall for the first meeting when Remus walked through the portrait hole. Olivia burrowed her face down into the book she was reading, hoping he wouldn't see her. Of course, she would have no such luck as Remus' eyes lit up as he saw her and shyly walked over.

"Hi, Liv."

She barely glanced up from her book before responding. "Hi, Remus."

Remus took her acknowledging him as a good sign and smiled slightly.

"So, how has your day been?"

Olivia rolled her eyes at the question, knowing that's not what he really wanted to talk to her about. She decided to cut the formalities and just get the upcoming conversation over with.

"Remus, go ahead and say what you want."

"A-ah, I-I mean..." He stuttered, surprised by her bluntness.

Olivia decided to give him a little slack and gave him the tiniest smirk. "You and I both know you didn't come over here to ask me how my day was going."

Remus sighed heavily and closed his eyes. "I just want to talk to you Liv. I'm sorry about what happe-"

"It's fine." She cut him off. "You don't have to apologize. I get it." She said with a slight edge.

"No, you don't get it. I know that I hurt you, and I never wanted that to happen. You're one of my best friends, and I don't want us to be like this...I'm sorry."

Olivia looked at the boy sitting beside her. She could feel her anger melting away as she saw all of the sadness hidden away in his amber eyes. She didn't know why he ran away from her, and she would not just allow their relationship to go straight back to it being like old times, but she supposed she could at least stop straight-up avoiding him. She had to admit that it wasn't really his fault that he didn't feel for her the way that she did for him.

Remus watched as Olivia closed her eyes and sighed deeply. He was hoping with everything in him that she would at least agree to be his friend again. He had been going crazy without her.

"Alright." She said finally. "I forgive you."

"Really?" Remus asked excitedly.

"Really."

Olivia felt her body shiver involuntarily as Remus launched himself onto her, hugging her tightly.

"I've missed you, Liv."

"I've missed you, too."

She felt a smile tug at the corners of her mouth and began closing her eyes when warning bells began to go off in her head.

_Whoa, girl! Remember, HE ran away from YOU._

Olivia shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. She was right. Remus was the one that ran away from her, and she would not allow herself to be put into that situation again. If Remus did not like her the way that she liked him, then she just needed to make sure that she didn't allow herself to become reliant on his companionship the way she did before.

Remus pulled away from her after impromtu hug and smiled brightly.

"Are you about to head down to the Great Hall for the meeting?"

"Yes, I'm waiting on the girls though so we can walk down together."

"Oh ok. Do you mind if I wait with you?" He asked.

Olivia looked up at him and could see all of the anxious hope in his eyes. She could see that he really wanted her to say "yes", but she had just told herself that she wasn't going to allow herself to continue being attached to Remus. She continued waging this internal war with herself for a few more moments before saying the only thing she knew she would always say.

"Not at all."

She inwardly chastised herself as she pulled her feet to close to her body, allowing enough room for Remus to sit down. He flopped down on the couch with a plop and began making useless chatter with Olivia, occasionally smiling and laughing at something he said. Olivia felt her cheeks flush as Remus absentmindedly picked up her feet and placed them on his lap before gently rubbing one while talking animatedly about a new defensive technique they were to learn in the dueling club. She quickly averted her eyes down to her book, trying her hardest not to let her treacherous mind allow her to peek up at the sandy haired boy who was currently tracing lazy circles around the bottom of her foot.

It was then that Olivia realized that keeping this handsome Marauder at a distance was going to be much harder than she originally expected.

When the group of girls, plus Remus, made it to the Great Hall, they realized that it had been transformed into a makeshift classroom. The four tables for the houses were gone, and in their place where two long deuling stages. Although the club was only offered to the 6th and 7th years, it seemed as though everyone had decided to join. Quite a large crowd had gathered in front of one of the stages, anxiously awaiting the starting announcements from Professor Flitwick.

Flitwick explained that they were to chose a partner to begin warming up exercises. They would use the first few classes to learn the proper techniques and wand movements for defensive spells. After mastering that, they would move onto full-fledged dueling.

Olivia glanced around after Flitwick told them to find a partner. James and Sirius had obviously paired up immediately, Peter with Mary, and Margaret with Lily. Olivia, thinking of her promise, desperately wanted to find someone other than Remus to work with. She began looking around frantically until the sound of a voice startled her.

"Hey, Olivia? Would you like to partner with me?"

Olivia turned and was surprised to see Alice Prewitt standing before her. Alice was another 6th year Gryffindor, although she did not live in the same dorm room as Olivia. She was known in Gryffindor to be not only incredibly kind, but extremely feisty.

"Sure, Alice!" Olivia said as she smiled broadly. Her face fell though when she realized she probably needed to level with Alice. "Although, I probably should tell you, I'm not exactly brilliant at this whole dueling thing. In fact, I'm extremely average, and I struggle with some of the spellwork." She finished embarrassedly.

Alice looked at Olivia with compassion filling her chocolate eyes. "Hey, no worries. Maybe I can help you a bit, yeah?"

Olivia felt relieved immediately, thankful the girl with the shaggy pixie cut hair would not think badly on her mediocre wand skills.

As she and Alice lined up across from each other, she saw Remus give her a smile before coming to stand beside her. Across from him was Frank Longbottom, another 6th year Gryffindor. Olivia had not had much interaction with him, but she had heard that he was extremely talented in Herbology.

The first club meeting had been going quite splendidly for Remus. They had practiced many different curses that they were to use when the real dueling began, and he was pleased that he had effectively cast them all on his first attempts. Frank, he noted, was also not so shabby when it came to hurling curses. He seemed to be extremely knowledgeable and light on his feet.

Although he was having a great time, Remus didn't want to admit how many times he had caught himself glancing over to make sure she was alright and holding her own against Alice. He supposed that the number was something similar to the amount of times he had caught Frank doing the same to Alice. He felt a smile on his face as he stole a quick look at the blue eyed Gryffindor beside him and noticed she was having trouble with the binding curse.

Olivia growled as she watched the ropes fall around Alice's feet once again. She had become frustrated with herself. Alice had gotten the curse on her first try and she was already on attempt number four.

"Maybe if you try to move your wand a bit like this." Alice suggested thoughtfully as she made a motion with her wand in the air. Olivia attempted to follow Alice's movements as closely as she could. "Yeah, maybe like that." Alice encouraged.

"Give it a go again."

Olivia took a deep breath and tried the spell again.

"Incarcerous!"

The ropes burst out of the tip of her wand only to loosely wrap themselves around Alice's legs.

"Well, that was a bit better, I suppose." Alice said politely.

Olivia huffed in annoyance. She didn't understand why this spell was that hard for her. Even fourth years could do this spell most of the time, and she couldn't even make Alice lose her balance. It was downright frustrating.

Remus smirked slightly, seeing how cute Olivia was when she started to get frustrated. He threw the spell at Frank one last time, watching the ropes tie around him securely before causing him to fall onto the ground as he turned to offer his assistance to Olivia. He felt anger ripple through him as he realized that he had been beaten to the punch.

"Hey, Olivia."

Olivia turned at the sound of her name and saw the familar handsome face of her fellow Gryffindor.

"Oh, hi, Gabriel."

She honestly had not realized that the handsome, curly headed brunette had been standing on the other side of her.

"I hope you don't think me rude, but I couldn't help but notice you were having a bit of trouble with the spell."

_Please think him rude, please think him rude_, Remus thought frantically.

Olivia physically deflated and put her head down, apparently embarrassed.

"Yes, a bit, I suppose." She mumbled lowly.

Gabriel smiled reassuringly at Olivia. "Aww, don't worry, sweets. Everyone has trouble with a spell or two. I'll help you fix it, no problem."

Remus felt an audible growl resonated from his chest at Gabriel's pet name for Olivia. He could feel the wolf fighting him to claim what was rightfully his. In this case, that meant Olivia. Remus drastically tried to push that feeling back down deep inside of him as he turned his attention back on the pair in front of him.

"You see, you're just flourishing your wand a bit too much, that's all."

Olivia looked up into the handsome boy's bright green eyes. "Flourishing too much? How so?" She asked sincerely.

"Well, you see...Actually, it would be a lot easier if I could show you." Gabriel said as he positioned himself behind Olivia as she faced a smiling Alice. "Do you mind?" He asked, trying to gain permission to physically help her cast the spell correcty.

Honestly, Olivia didn't mind at all, especially considering how nuts Gabriel's mere presence was making Remus. She, and everyone else she was sure, had seen Remus almost explode from jealousy as soon as Gabriel began speaking to her.

"No, by all means." Olivia complied graciously.

Remus had to literally hold onto the side of the stage to keep himself from charging foward as Gabriel positioned himelf behind Olivia. He placed his left hand on her waist and his right over her wand hand as he raised the wand toward the waiting Alice. Remus' chest constricted painfully as he saw that delicate flush of red that had originally been reserved for him on Olivia's cheeks at the 7th year's touch.

_I'm going to rip his bloody hands right off his body if he continues touching her_. He thought menacingly.

Remus ground his teeth together forcefully as he continued watching the handsome boy whipser directions and encouraging words to Olivia as they prepared to cast the spell.

After giving her the go-ahead signal, Olivia shouted, "Incacerous!"

Ropes burst forth from the tip of Olivia's wand and wrapped tightly around Alice's legs. She hit the floor moments later as the ropes continued to stay in place.

Remus felt his anger rise to precarious levels as he watched the excitement in Olivia's face as she turned as hugged Gabriel tightly.

_She should be hugging you right now._ He thought sourly.

_She would be if you wouldn't have pushed her away._

_You're a werewolf. What else were you supposed to do?_ He continued arguing with himself.

_Give her a chance like James said._

Remus stopped as the thought entered his mind. He had not even considered giving Olivia a chance to live with his lycanthropy, and he wasn't sure if wanted to now. She just deserved so much more than a handicapped boyfriend.

He stormed out of the Great Hall wondering how long he was going to be able to keep himself away from the siren song Olivia seemed to be continually singing to him.

Olivia watched as Remus fled the Great Hall. He was angry. She was sure of it, and she knew that he was angry with the attention Gabriel was giving her. Although she hated him being upset, she had to reason that ever since the "incident", he really had no right to be upset. Olivia had told Remus how much she cared for him, and she still did just as much if she were honest, but she couldn't continue waiting for him if he had no intentions of giving her a chance.

Still, as she watched him storm out of the room in a flury of anger and fury, she had to admit that it seemed as though it was going to be an extremely interesting term.

* * *

><p><strong><em>There it is! And in less than a week, too! I'm sure there are a lot of grammatical errors in here, but it's 2:30 a.m. here, so cut me some slack...because I'm exhausted. :) I'll fix them in the morning, -er, LATER in the morning. But be sure to REVIEW before you go! Thanks everyone! Goodnight!<em>**


	11. Busted

**_Here's the latest chapter! Quick, wasn't it? This chapter is going to be in Remus' point of view for the most part, but it will have a bit of Olivia's here and there. This is my longest chapter yet, so enjoy! Please be sure to review! There weren't any reviews on the last chapter, so I'm not really sure if that means that it sucked... :( meeh...So please be sure to let me know what you guys think! Thanks for reading!_**

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><p><strong>Chapter 11- Busted<strong>

Time seemed to be flying by for the Hogwarts students. April was already winding down, and Remus was aggravated. He was sitting in the Great Hall with the other Marauders for breakfast, and he couldn't seem to take his eyes off of the laughing Olivia sitting a ways down from him. It didn't anger him that she was laughing. No, he actually adored hearing her peals of bell-like laughter. What made him so angry was the _reason_ behind her laughter, which had taken the form of the handsome green eyed boy that was currently sitting next to her. Remus had been glaring down at his eggs and sausage ever since Gabriel had walked in and asked to join Liv and the other girls at their part of the table. He had pleaded with Liv in his mind to tell him no, but he knew she was much too kind. Now, there she was, laughing and giggling with the rest of the girls at the table as Gabriel entertained them. It was hard for Remus not to notice how much Olivia and Gabriel had been spending together. They studied together, ate together, watched the Quidditch matches together, and would sometimes even hang out in the common room together. To make matters worse, the attractive boy had asked Olivia to go with him on the next Hogsmeade trip, and she had agreed. Remus knew he had to do something, but he just didn't know what.

"Oi! Grumpy pants! What's got your wand in a knot?"

Remus looked up into Sirius' smiling face. He was pretty sure that his friends already knew what his problem was but were just trying to rile him up.

"Nothing. Just didn't sleep well last night."

James looked up from his plate. "Well, you'd better cheer up, mate, because we have figured out how to get back at those Slytherin wankers for what they did to us before the holiday!"

Remus perked up at the thought of getting revenge for the attack on the grounds. "Really? What have you two got in mind?"

"This." Sirius said excitedly as he pulled a small vial of clear liquid out of his robe.

"What is it?"

"Something that Prongs and I have been working on for weeks." James said. "It's a mix between a babbling potion and a 'confundus'."

"We are going to slip them some during the big Leaving Feast and watch them make complete idiots of themselves." Sirius finished proudly.

Remus looked a little unsure of the experimental potion. "It's not going to kill them, is it?"

James shrugged. "It _shouldn't_...I don't think."

Remus groaned and rolled his eyes. "I'm going to be the first prefect to ever be expelled."

Sirius shot a knowing look to James before turning back to Remus. "Well, if you don't want us to get back at the gits for attacking us and ultimately hurting Liv, then we will just forget it."

"I think it's a b-brilliant idea, Prongs." Peter stuttered.

"So, on a side note, I'm assuming you're so peeved right now because ol' Fairburn over there is currently wooing Liv?" James asked nonchalantly.

"He is not wooing her!"

Sirius smirked. "I don't know, Moony. Prongsie here may be on to something. She seems to be enjoying his company, if you ask me."

"But I _didn't_ ask you, did I?"

Sirius grabbed his chest dramatically. "That hurt, Moony. It really did."

James interjected. "Listen, here's what we're going to do. Because we are your best friends ..."

"...and because we hate that prick Fairburn..." Sirius muttered.

"...we have come to a decision."

"...there is actually a lot of people I hate..."

"...We have decided to help you..."

"...do I have anger issues?..."

"...win Olivia back from Fairburn..."

"...I might need to look into this..."

"SIRIUS, will you please shut up?" James yelled.

Sirius ignored him. "Would you lot consider me an angry person?"

Remus burst into laughter at the ridiculous question. "Where did that even come from, Padfoot?"

"I think I may hate a lot of people."

"Only the ones who deserve to be hated." James reasoned.

"I'm going to look into it." Sirius concluded finally.

"Anyways," James said exasperatedly. "We are going to get Olivia back for you."

"But how?" Remus asked sadly. "She all but blatantly avoids me."

Sirius looked at Remus as if he were crazy. "We're the Marauders. We basically run this" He said as he gestured to everything around him.

"Whaa-?"

James cut him off. "Don't you worry about a thing, mate. We have it all worked out." He assured him. "Right Pete?"

Peter looked up from shoveling food into his face. "Of course!"

"I don't know..." Remus began.

"Aww, stop your worrying. This time next week, Fairburn will be out of the picture, and you'll have Liv back."

* * *

><p>Remus tried to figure out what the Marauders were planning to do as they made their way to Divination, but they wouldn't budge, so he gave up, choosing instead to think about the upcoming class. Divination was one class that Remus actually enjoyed nowadays. It wasn't because the subject was interesting. On the contrary, Remus believed Divination to be a complete load of tripe. No, he enjoyed Divination because it was one of the very rare classes that Olivia sat at a table with him and the other Marauders.<p>

Olivia was already in the classroom when Remus and the boys walked in. He saw that Margaret and Mary were sitting a table over from her talking animatedly. Remus smiled brightly at Olivia before plopping down beside her.

"Hi, Liv. How's it going today?"

Olivia smiled brightly back at him. "It's alright, I suppose. How about you lot?"

At that time Lily came bounding into the room just before the bell rang. Huffing and puffing, she sat down in the chair next to James before realizing what she was doing.

"Hello, Lily. Cutting it close?"

Lily sighed in aggravation before answering. "Well, it's hard to make it to class on time when Rookwood is terrorizing everyone in the school."

James was outraged. "What? What did he do! Did he try to hex you? I'll destroy the ugly blighter!"

Lily put her hands up to James' mouth to try to get him to stop yelling.

"No, James! He was hexing a second year. I just had to make him stop and take a few points from him. No big deal. Just annoying, really."

James grumbled something unintelligible before settling back down into his seat.

Remus watched as Olivia looked on at the pair in amusement. He desperately tried to think of something to say to her, but it was only a few moments when the teacher began the lesson.

Olivia sighed as the teacher told them that they would be reading tea cups today. She really wasn't sure how much she believed in the 'noble art of Divination" as Professor Wardsburrow like to describe it.

"Oh, look here, James." Lily said while looking down at her textbook. "According to your cup, your life holds a lucky streak in the near future."

"Oh...Brilliant!" James said with fake enthusiasm.

"Do none of you think this is fascinating? Remus, you do, don't you?"

"Of course I do." Remus said from behind his textbook.

Olivia covered a giggle as he gave her a wink and showed her another book he had placed inside his Divination textbook.

"Hey, Liv. Does my cup say anything about a detention I might be receiving?"

Olivia looked down into his cup in intense concentration.

"Hmmm...Let's see here." She said as she twisted and spun the cup. "Nope. Nothing about a detention in here." She concluded finally.

Sirius pumped his fist into the air happily. "Yes! I was sure that Filch was going to find out about my flooding the Slytherin common room last week."

"What was that, Mr. Black?"

Apparently, Professor Wardsburrow had been walking by their table and caught the end of Sirius' confession.

"Err, nothing at all sir."

"Explain, Mr. Black."

"Umm...Well, you see sir, it's quite a crazy story. It was kind of like...What was that? Donovan saw 'The Grim' in Diggory's cup?"

"What! Let me see the cup, dear boy!" Professor Wardsburrow said as he ran to the opposite side of the room, snatching the cup from Donovan's hand to begin a thorough inspection.

Olivia picked up Sirius' cup again and tried to stop laughing. "Do you want me to check the grains again? Because the detention might very well be in here now."

"Nah. He will forget we were even talking now that he's convinced Diggory is going to bite the big one."

Olivia shook her head and smiled as the Professor dismissed them from the class. It seemed he wanted time to analyze Diggory's tea grains privately.

The group laughed and gathered their books before heading out the door towards the trapdoor that led to the hallway below.

"Did you see the look on Diggory's face? He was furious!" James laughed.

Sirius shrugged. "He was just mad that he had to stay in that joke of a class longer than the rest of us."

Peter looked over at the group, slightly confused. "I like Divination."

Lily smiled brilliantly and was about to speak up before Sirius cut her off. "That's because you drink all the tea."

Peter shrugged noncommittally as James erupted into laughter once again.

Olivia watched as her friends went down the ladder one by one and even allowed Remus to help her off of it since there was a slight drop to the floor. She couldn't deny that her stomach had done a flip when he grabbed her by the waist and set her gently to the ground.

Olivia was relieved that she and Remus seemed to be getting over the incident that occurred during the Christmas holiday, and it appeared as though they were finally able to interact with each other without things getting too awkward. Olivia was extremely happy about this. She hated having to avoid him all the time, and honestly, she missed her friend terribly.

"Hey, did any of you hear about what we are doing in our final dueling club meeting?" James asked excitedly.

"What?" Margaret asked.

James and Sirius looked at each other with identical grins before turning to the group.

"A dueling tournament!" Sirius yelled excitedly.

"Oh wow!" Lily said. "That's going to be brilliant!"

So far, they had only been allowed to perform minor jinxes and hexes during dueling club. They had yet to be given free reign during any of the duels. Even Olivia, who had improved exponentially since the start of the club, was excited about the new twist.

"How did you two even find out? I didn't hear of an announcement or anything." Mary asked.

"We heard Flitwick talking about it in the teacher's lounge last night on our way back from detention."

"You had _another_ detention?" Olivia asked incredulously.

"What did you two do this time?"

"We may or may not have released a herd of chickens into the Ravenclaw common room." James said evasively.

"That was you?" Lily cried.

"I heard one of their prefects saying that their entire dorm still reeked!" Olivia said.

"Excellent!" Sirius said as he gave James a high-five.

"Where did you even find chickens?" Olivia asked.

Sirius tapped her nose with his forefinger. "Ah, ah, ah, my beautiful little lion cub. Some secrets are not meant to be revealed."

Olivia frowned slightly until Remus leaned over to her.

"Hogsmeade." He whispered in her ear.

She smiled up at him and gave him a soft bump with her shoulder.

"But how did you get caught?" Margaret asked.

"One of the little second years saw us run out of the common room entrance and went and ratted us out." James said while pouting.

Sirius sighed. "Yep. We have one more night of detention with McGonagall before we are through serving our time."

Lily and Olivia shook their heads. It was almost amazing to think of some of the things that the boys could come up with. Mary and Peter broke away from the group so that Mary could go grab a book that she had forgotten in the dorm before lunch started. The rest gave them a wave as they continued on towards the Great Hall.

"So, who do you think will win the tournament?" Margaret asked.

"Me, of course." Sirius said immediately.

"Don't count your chickens before they hatch, Padfoot, ol' pal." James countered.

"Sorry, mate, but you don't stand a chance against the master."

Lily interjected then. "Are you referring to yourself?"

"Of course! Who else?" He asked cockily.

"I don't know Padfoot...James has gotten pretty quick on his feet." Lily said.

"Thanks, Lils." James said proudly.

"Alright. Let's take a vote then, shall we?" Sirius proposed.

"Me." James said.

"Me." Sirius said right back.

"Umm...James." Margaret said after a moment.

"Margaret!" Sirius asked, outraged.

"Errrr...Sirius!" She changed her mind quickly.

"No way! Your vote has already been cast! You can't change it!" James said.

"James." Lily voted.

"Remus." Olivia said firmly.

Remus looked over to her, thinking she just wanted his attention, when he realized she was casting her vote for _him_ to win.

"Remus?" Sirius asked.

"Oh yes. I think you all are forgetting who is top of our class in Defense." Olivia said while cutting her eyes over to Remus with a smile.

"That is true." Lily conceded.

"I've got an idea." Sirius said suddenly. "Why don't we sweeten the odds a bit?"

"What, like a bet?" James asked.

"Yeah. Just a little something to make it worth playing for."

"What have you got in mind?" Lily asked suspiciously.

"Hmm..Let's see here..." Sirius began to think.

"I don't know if I like that look in his eye." Margaret said.

"Eureka! I've got it!"

"Ok, what's the bet?" James asked.

"Losers have to steal one pair of knickers from a professor's private rooms and bring them back to the common room!"

"No way!" Lily said immediately. James was smiling broadly

"Absolutely not!" Margaret seconded.

"Alright."

The group turned to look at Olivia, who was standing there smiling. Remus was astounded that she was willing to agree to this so quickly.

"What?" Lily asked, shocked. "You're _ok_ with sneaking into a professor's private rooms to steal a pair of knickers?"

Olivia shook her head. "No, I'm not personally comfortable with doing it, but, then again, _I'm_ not going to have to be the one to do it anyways." She said with a smirk. "Remus is going to cream James, Sirius, and everyone else for that matter."

Remus felt a swell of pride in his chest at hearing Olivia's words. She really did seem to have complete and utter faith in his abilities. He couldn't help the goofy smile that was plastered on his face as Lily narrowed her eyes at Olivia playfully.

"Well, I think James will crush Remus into dust." She said. "No offense to you, of course, Remus." She added on with a smile.

"None taken." He smiled back.

"The bets are on, then!" Sirius yelled happily.

"Oh wait. Remus hasn't placed his yet."

"That's right. Alright there, Moony. Who's going to win the dueling tournament?"

Remus looked around at his friends, then down at a smiling Olivia. She really seemed to have no doubts that he could win. Remus had just gone from not caring in the least at who won to wanting to win more than anything. To think of how proud Olivia would be of him for winning the bet for them spurned his competitive nature into overdrive. Looking back up at his friends, he answered Sirius' question confidently.

"Me."

Another voice interrupted the discussion before anyone could respond.

"Oh, we'll just see about that, Lupin."

The group of friends turned to see Gabriel walking up to Olivia. Apparently, he heard Sirius' question and put the pieces together for himself.

James laughed while Sirius addressed the seventh year. "Oh come off it, Fairburn. You might be good with spells, but your head is filled with sawdust...and it takes brains to win a duel." He smiled arrogantly.

"I guess time will tell then, won't it?" He asked coolly.

James and Sirius rolled their eyes at the green eyed boy.

"You ready, Olivia?" Gabriel asked her.

"Yes, I am. See you later everyone."

Gabriel saw how closely Remus had been standing next to Olivia and promptly wrapped his arm around her waist, steering her towards the Great Hall. He narrowed his eyes threateningly at Remus, who met the older boy's gaze unwaveringly.

"Bloody git." Remus muttered under his breath.

James patted him on the back comfortingly. "Don't worry, mate. We'll get her back."

* * *

><p>Remus was exhausted. He had been doing rounds on the second level of the castle for almost three hours now. So far, he had caught four couples snogging, two third year Slytherins trying to break into Filch's office, and had taken away almost fifty house points. He was so thankful that the time for him to start heading back up to the common room had finally come. It was getting late, and all he wanted to do was collapse in the common room in front of the fire.<p>

As he was walking down the dimly lit corridor, he heard a sudden commotion to his left. Whipping his wand out instantly, he called out towards the disturbance.

"Who's there?"

Remus waited a few moments before a tuft of messy jet-black hair poked out from behind the corner.

"Moony?"

Remus sighed in relief as he saw James smile and scurry out from behind the wall with Sirius right behind him.

"Merlin's beard, Moony. You nearly gave us a heart attack!" Sirius said as he grabbed his chest.

"Likewise." Remus replied with a smirk. "What are you two doing out here anyways?"

"McGonagall had something to do, so we ended up serving detention with Slughorn..."

"...who decided to leave us to our own devices while cleaning the trophy cases downstairs." Sirius continued.

"...so we dipped out as soon as we knew he wasn't coming back." James finished with a mischievous smile.

Remus put his face into his hand and groaned. "So then you go and tell a prefect that you have just snuck out of detention? Merlin, you two will be the death of me."

"Calm down, Moony. Ol' Sluggy will never know we're gone." Sirius reassured him.

"It's still the principle."

"Well, as much as I'd like to stand in this dark hallway and talk about the principle, why don't we get back up to the common room and see if the girls are still up?" James said.

"Here, here!" Sirius yelled.

"Let's take the shortcut behind the hippogriff tapestry." Sirius suggested as they hurried along.

As they walked up to the tapestry, James held it out for the other two boys before slipping in himself.

"Lumos" Remus whispered to light the pathway.

"I wonder if Slughorn ever figured out we are missing?" James pondered aloud.

"Surely not. He's too busy lounging in the staff room bragging about his famous connections and stuffing his face with pineapple candies." Sirius snickered.

"Shh, you two. I think I hear something."

Walking a bit further, Remus spotted two dimly lit figures stuck in a heated liplock. Inwardly groaning that he was going to have to deal with a snogging couple once again, Remus opened his mouth to take points away until the light fell on the two's faces.

"Fairburn?" Remus gasped.

There, standing before the three boys, was Gabriel. Rosemary Kleinsfield, a sixth year Ravenclaw, was hastily trying to button up the front of her school blouse before the intruders were able to see her undergarments. Muttering a quick apology and completely flushing with embarrassment, she scurried down the hall to get away from the awkward situation.

"TEN POINTS FROM RAVENCLAW!" Remus roared before she was out of earshot.

Gabriel stood there looking at the three boys, all of whom were wearing identical masks of fury on their faces.

"Well? Go on." James said darkly.

"Umm...I mean, I do really like Liv and all" Gabriel stuttered.

"But you decided you'd have a bit of something else on the side?" Sirius asked angrily.

Gabriel began to look flustered. "Well, I mean, I can't get Olivia to do anything, and I am a man, and I have needs too! I don't wa-..."

Gabriel was quickly silenced by Remus' wand sticking in his face.

"Shut. your. damn. mouth." He spat venomously.

They stayed their for a moment before Remus spoke again. "How long have you been doing this?"

Gabriel glanced towards Sirius and James, who in no way were planning to help him avoid Remus' wrath, and looked back at Remus.

"A little over a month, give or take a few days." He paused before continuing. "Are you going to tell her?"

Remus thought about the question. On one hand, he wanted nothing more than to run straight up to the girls' dorm and tell Olivia everything so she would break off any relationship with the older boy. On the other hand, he didn't know how she would react, and he didn't want to hurt her. He wouldn't be able to stand it if a scumbag like Gabriel made her feel insecure or badly about herself.

Gabriel began to fidget. The rage in the quiet boy's voice was honestly quite frightening. He expected them to run straight to Olivia and tell her, and he was currently trying to figure out he was planning to save his squeaky clean reputation when word of questionable morals got out.

Finally, Remus answered the older boy.

"No."

Gabriel sighed in relief. Maybe this he could salvage this situation after all. He visibly flinched when Remus grabbed a wad of his robes and shoved him hard into a wall.

"But, here's what you are going to do." He said in a low and quiet voice. Gabriel could still see the anger in his amber eyes.

"You are going to leave. her. alone. You tell her that something came up and you aren't going to be able to take her to Hogwarts, and then you will not associate yourself with her in any form or fashion. Do you understand me?"

"This wouldn't even have happened if she wouldn't have been such a stick in the mud!" Gabriel yelled loudly, embarrassed about being treated this way by someone younger than him.

He had barely gotten the sentence out of his mouth before he was on the ground and holding his jaw where Remus had just punched him.

"You leave her alone." He repeated.

Gabriel narrowed his eyes at the normally quiet boy and gave a quick nod.

"Fifteen points from Gryffindor...Now get out of here."

With that, Gabriel got up from the ground and walked out of the tapestry.

Sirius and James watched him go before turning back to Remus. They simultaneously erupted.

"Merlin's beard, Moony! You just beat the shite out of the bloody git!"

"What an arse! I didn't think you had it in you!"

"That was much better than what we had planned. We were just going to hex him until he left her alone."

"Yeah! You blackmailed him AND punched him in the face!"

Remus felt a tug at the corners of his mouth. He had to admit that he was rather proud of himself. He had never hit someone before either. Remus turned to his two friends.

"Not a word to the girls- especially Liv." He said seriously.

James and Sirius immediately put their hands up to their heads in salute.

"Aye, aye, Cap'n Moony!"

Remus smiled at his two friends before following them up the hidden staircase to Gryffindor Tower.

* * *

><p>By the end of the week, Remus was almost giddy with happiness. Gabriel had taken Remus' threat to heart and had basically disappeared from Olivia's life after giving her an excuse on why he couldn't take her to the following Hogsmeade weekend. Although Olivia was baffled, she seemed to be fine, just a bit put out with the boy's sudden change in behavior.<p>

Remus couldn't wipe the goofy smile off his face on the morning that Olivia walked into the Great Hall and asked if she could join them for breakfast. The Marauders had readily agreed, glad that they had the girls back with them.

A few days after Olivia and the other girls had begun to sit with them again, conversation turned to Gabriel.

"So what happened with Gabriel?" Margaret asked Olivia as she began putting things on her plate.

"I have no idea." She answered with a shrug. "One day he wants to hang out all the time, the next, he's gone.

Although she was extremely confused about his behavior, Olivia didn't mind too much. Sure, it was a bit off-putting to have someone change their mind about you so quickly, but it's not like they had been dating or anything.

"I'm sorry, Liv." Lily said sympathetically, hoping that her friend wasn't too upset about the situation.

"No, no. It's fine. I'm more upset that I still haven't figured out how to stun effectively and now I'm losing my Defense tutor." She said glumly.

"We'll help you Liv" Remus volunteered quickly. There was no way he was letting this opportunity pass.

Olivia looked up at them. "Really?"

"Of course. James, Sirius, and I have been using stunners since second year. We'll have you stunning in no time, right guys?" He asked brightly.

"Right!" They said in unison.

"Today is Friday, so why don't we meet tomorrow night? Around seven?"

"That's fine with me. Lil, Margaret, would you two like to come?" Olivia asked.

"Sure. I could use some practice." Lily said.

"No, thanks. I'm supposed to be going for a walk on the grounds with Alexander Jacobson tomorrow night." Margaret responded while waggling her eyebrows suggestively.

"What! Why would you want to be alone with that wanker?" Sirius asked, outraged.

"Oh hush up, you. Alex is very kind, and I'm excited."

Sirius grumbled unintelligibly as he continued shoveling his lunch into his mouth.

Olivia covered a giggle at Sirius' pouting over Margaret's date. Remus looked down at her and smiled at her silliness. Olivia moved her hand from in front of her mouth and bumped his shoulder with her own before giving him a dazzling smile.

Remus felt lightheaded. Words couldn't describe how happy he was to have Olivia back here beside him. He was finally starting to believe that he may actually be able to win her back.

* * *

><p>Remus was anxiously counting down the hours until it was time for the Defense lesson with Olivia and the rest of the group. It seemed as though time was at a standstill, and the wait was torturing Remus. He was currently sitting in the common room trying to read a book to pass the time, but it wasn't working at all.<p>

"Ready for our lesson tonight?"

Remus looked up at the sound of the lovely voice and saw Olivia walking towards him. She was wearing an oversized Gryffindor sweatshirt with black tights that accentuated her shapely legs, and a pair of sneakers. Her long brown hair was pulled up into a ponytail, but Remus noticed that the few pieces that were already falling out were framing her gorgeous almond shaped eyes perfectly.

Remus had to shake his head to force himself not to stare at the beautiful creature in front of him.

"Oh, yes, of course. What about you?" He answered with a smile.

Olivia looked down at the boy sitting on the couch. He looked tired, but that was understandable considering the full moon was only a few days ago. She hoped that he wasn't wearing himself out for her sake. She sat down on the couch beside him and gave him a worried look.

"You look tired, Remus." She said with concern in her voice.

Truth be told, Remus was tired, it had been a long week for him, and he still wasn't quite over the effects of the full moon, but he'd be damned before he allowed himself to miss an opportunity to spend time with Olivia.

He smiled down at the girl sitting beside him. "I'm alright Liv. Nothing serious."

She looked around the room to make sure no one would hear before turning back to him with a hushed voice.

"I know you're not completely recovered from the last full moon, and I'd hate to see you wear yourself out just because I'm a dunderhead at Defense."

Remus' amber eyes locked with her blue ones.

"You are _not_ a dunderhead." He nearly growled.

"Well, I'm obviously not excellent at it." She sighed.

Remus thought for a moment before speaking again.

"You know, there was once a girl that told me that it was my flaws that made me the amazing person that I am, even though it was hard for me to see it."

Olivia found Remus' eyes once more as she realized that the girl he was talking about was _her_. She had told him that when she was upset with him for constantly putting himself down about his lycanthropy. Her eyes widened incredulously.

"Y-You remember that?"

Remus smiled down at her and put a comforting arm around her shoulders.

"Of course I remember, silly girl." He said with a chuckle.

He reached over with his left hand and put it under her chin, pulling it up so that her eyes were locked with his.

"I took that advice to heart, and now it's your turn. You're a better dueler than you think. Much better than you give yourself credit for. Believe in yourself and your magic. You're a brilliant witch Olivia. You should have realized by now how powerful, smart, funny, and kind you really are...I know I have."

Olivia the tears brimming in her eyes at Remus' heartfelt confession. She had never had anyone on her side so wholeheartedly before. She could feel the butterflies in her stomach as Remus continued looking into her eyes.

"Thanks, Remy." She said as she hugged the quiet Marauder tightly.

On impulse, Remus bent down and kissed her on the top of the head, hoping she wouldn't be upset. He felt a smile on his lips as the petite girl hugged him a bit tighter and burrowed her head into the front of his white button up shirt.

Eventually, Olivia pulled away from Remus and looked up at him with a shy smile.

"It's almost time to go. I'm going to go see if Lily and the boys are ready."

"Already here." Lily announced as she walked into the common room.

Sirius and James followed only seconds behind her from the boys' side of the dormitory.

"Present!"

Olivia turned and began following the two boys out of the portrait hole.

"Alright troop! To the Room of Requirement!" Sirius yelled with gusto.

"Last one there gets stunned first!" Lily yelled as she took off at a sprint towards the stairs

James and Sirius looked at each other for a moment before taking off like a shot after the redhead in the distance.

Surprised, Olivia looked up at Remus, who was smiling.

"Well? Come on!" He yelled as he grabbed her hand.

Suddenly, they were in full chase mode. Olivia was an exceptionally fast runner, but she could tell Remus was faster. His legs were much longer than Olivia's, so one step of his equalled almost three of hers, but not once did he let go of her hand to leave her behind.

They finally made it to the seventh floor, barely losing to Lily, which was understandable considering the head start she had on them. James finally came bounding up the hall, coming in a solid third place. Not long after, a pouting Sirius came into view.

"No fair! Liv hit me with a tripping jinx and I hit my face on the ground!" Sirius yelled.

Olivia snickered as James spoke up. "Well, Lily here confunded me when she thought I was going to beat her, and I slammed into a wall running full speed...thought I broke my bloody nose."

"I can't help I'm competitive. And no one said anything about not being able to curse." She said nonchalantly.

Remus and Olivia laughed as James walked over to the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy trying to teach a group of trolls ballet.

"We need a place to practice Defense, We need a place to practice Defense, We need a place to practice Defense..." He chanted while walking back and forth of the tapestry three times.

A huge set of doors appeared and James walked right up to them, holding it open for Lily and Olivia.

"After you, ladies."

They walked inside and saw that Hogwarts had provided them with a huge empty space. There was plenty of room to be able to practice and along the walls were dummies to use if needed.

"This is perfect! Way to go, Prongs!"

Lily and Olivia smiled at each other.

"So, what are we going to do first, professor?"

Remus turned and saw that Olivia was smiling at him while the rest waited for instruction.

"Err...why don't we see how well you can stun before try to improve anything. Sirius, since you lost the race, you get to be the first target."

Sirius grumbled a bit as he moved down to the other end of the room. He turned around and raised his wand at Olivia. Remus walked and stood behind Olivia as she raised her own wand.

"Alright, Olivia. Give it a go."

Lily and James watched from the sidelines as Olivia stared Sirius down.

"Stupefy!" She yelled.

A bright red jet of light erupted from the tip of her wand and struck Sirius in the chest. The group watched as it blew him backwards, landing flat on his back a few feet away.

"Owww." He said as pulled himself back onto his feet.

Olivia's brows furrowed as she looked back at Remus.

"You see? I can cast the spell, but it's not strong enough to actually stun someone. I just don't understand what I'm doing wrong."

"Yes, I see, and I think I know what's wrong." He said as he walked up behind her. He took her wand hand in his own as he began tracing the wand movements through the air. "Try moving your wand a bit more like this."

Olivia nodded as he continued talking.

"Also, you must remember. A spell is only as good as the intention put behind it. You have to visualize the damage you want the spell to cause. Try to find your center of magic, feel it, and allow it to fill you."

Olivia nodded again and took a deep breath. Sirius was standing up again where he was before. She tried to focus all of her energy on the stunning spell before casting it.

"Stupefy!"

This time, as the light hit Sirius, he was blown back several feet. He easily was flung twice the distance of the first spell and laid there unmoving. A moment later, he groggily rose to a sitting position.

"Ouch! That bloody hurt!" He whined. "Here, Prongs, you come take over."

"No, thanks Padfoot, ol' pal. I'm fine right here."

"Come on Sirius. Just once more. I'm going to get it right this time." Olivia said determinedly.

Sirius groaned. "Ugh. Alright, but this is the last time you get to have a free shot."

He stood back at his original position, wand at the ready. Olivia closed her eyes for a moment and focused herself. She didn't try to keep her magical energy at bay and instead allowed it to flow freely through her being. Raising her wand, she attempted the spell again.

"STUPEFY!" She yelled.

This time, a huge jet of red flew from her wand, striking Sirius square in the chest once more. he immediately was knocked off his feet. Olivia watched for any signs of movement, but could see none. She watched as James jogged down to the seemingly unconscious boy and bent down. Looking back up at Olivia, James smiled broadly at her.

"Congratulations, Liv." He said before gesturing to the boy on the ground. "Out cold."

Olivia spun around to Remus with a dazzling smile before launching herself into his arms.

"Thank you so much, Remus! You're the best!" She said before giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. Remus felt a creep of blush on his face, but that couldn't stop the swell of pride he was feeling in his chest.

Meanwhile, James and Lily had just woken a stunned Sirius, whom they lifted into a sitting position.

"That's it! I'm not being the bloody dummy anymore!" He yelled angrily.

Everyone laughed as they decided to regroup and pair off. The night was a complete success in Remus' mind. They had continued working with stunners and shields, Remus normally pairing off with Liv, although he did allow Lily to work with her when James and Sirius begged for a shot to duel with him.

It was well after curfew before they found themselves walking back to the common room. Remus was walking along with James and Sirius as Lily and Olivia walked a few steps in front of them, talking animatedly about the dueling session.

James was looking down at the Marauder's Map, making sure the coast was clear as they continued on their way. Remus looked over at Sirius after he nudged him in the arm.

"You're going to ask her to Hogsmeade, right?" He whispered quietly.

Remus looked up to the girls in front of them, who were still going on about something, before answering the dark haired boy beside him.

"I don't know. I haven't decided yet."

"Aww, come on, Moony. You know you want to, and she'll say yes." Sirius whispered.

"How can you be so sure?"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Prongs, help me out here."

"It's true. She only had eyes for you tonight, mate. I would give anything to have Lily look at me the way Olivia looks at you." He whispered while looking longingly towards the redhead in front of them.

"See? So just do it. Don't even think about it. Just walk straight up to her and ask."

Remus didn't even have a chance to respond before James let out a yelp and grabbed Lily's hand.

"Bloody hell! Filch is coming! We need to get out of here NOW! Get to the common room!"

Remus quickly grabbed Olivia's hand and they took off. He knew that she was basically running blind, just as Lily, but Olivia wasn't complaining. She just held on tighter to Remus' hand. Everyone knew that the Marauder's knew this castle almost as well as Dumbledore himself. They had no problems bobbing and weaving through corridors and passageways in near pitch black darkness.

They arrived at the common room puffing and out of breath, but had evaded the scary caretaker and his creepy cat, Mrs. Norris.

"Well, _that_ was quite the adventure, but I believe I will be turning in now." Lily said with a yawn. "Goodnight, you lot."

"Yeah, I think I'll be turning in as well. Goodnight." James said.

"Me too." Sirius agreed.

"Goonight everyone."

Olivia soon realized that she and Remus were the only two left in the common room.

"Well, I guess I should be heading off to bed too. It's getting late. Thanks again for helping me, Remus." She said with a sweet smile.

"Goodnight."

Remus watched as she turned to make her way up the stairs when he decided to take Sirius' advice.

"Olivia?"

The pretty blue-eyed Gryffindor turned where she stood on the stairs.

"Yes?"

"Would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me next weekend?

* * *

><p><strong><em>There it is! What will Olivia say? Do you think she is ready to completely forgive Remus for his stunt over the Christmas Holidays? Review, review, review to let me know what you guys think! Thanks!<em>**


	12. A Day in the Life of a Marauder

**_Hi everyone!_**

**_Soooooo, yeeeeeeah. I know I've been gone for a while now, and I would like to think that I have a great excuse for being away, but, yeeeeah. I was in Europe for almost a month, so I'm sorry! I promise that the next chapter will be posted in a fraction of the time it took to post this one! Thanks you guys for reading!_**

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><p><strong><em>Chapter 12- A Day in the Life of a Marauder<em>**

_..."Would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me next weekend?"_

Olivia stood on the stairs leading up to the girls' dormitory with her mouth hanging agape. She was confused. Sure, she knew that she still had feelings for Remus no matter how badly his rejection had hurt her during the break, but she had no idea that he still had any interest in her. The fact that he literally ran away from her when she was about to kiss him cleared up any doubts she had about that.

Staring down at the sandy haired boy looking up at her with so much hope in his amber eyes, Olivia opened her mouth, unsure of what to say.

"Umm...Remus, I-I don't know..."

She continued stuttering until she saw Remus take a deep breath.

"Olivia." He nearly pleaded. "I know that I really messed up, and I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you the way I know I did. I was nervous and, to be honest, a bit scared."

Remus ducked his head, feeling embarrassed at the confession as he trudged forward with his speech.

"...I've just never had someone care for me after knowing what I am." He murmured while shuffling his feet nervously. "Please, just give me another chance...All I want is for us to be friends again."

Olivia felt her stomach drop.

"friends"..._oh._

Remus wanted only her friendship, then.

She couldn't honestly say that it didn't hurt, because it did. It hurt a lot, actually. She liked Remus. She liked Remus more than she really cared to admit, but if all that he wanted from her was friendship, then could she really blame him? It wasn't his fault that he didn't see her like that.

She finally opened her mouth, frantically hoping that her thoughts sounded better when said aloud.

"Remus, I don't know how I feel right now..." She began cautiously, wincing when she saw the hope beginning to fade from Remus' demeanor. "...but, I think I may be willing to give our friendship another try..." She finished slowly, glancing down at a point on the floor in between her and the Marauder.

Olivia took a chance and glanced up when Remus did not respond and saw that his mouth was hanging open with a shocked expression on his face. Before giving him a chance to respond, she forced a smile at him before turning and continuing up the stairs until she was out of sight.

Remus continued standing at the bottom of the stairs foolishly as he tried to understand what had just happened. Eventually, and with monumental effort, he willed his feet to move. Ecstatic at the new turn of events, he bounded up the stairs to the boys' dorm to get ready for bed. As he grabbed a black tshirt and a pair of baggy sweatpants, he felt a huge goofy smile on his face as he thought about his upcoming date. He knew that Olivia was confused about his behavior during the "almost kiss" and therefore a little wary about getting involved with him again, but he was determined. He had gotten her to agree to accompany him to Hogsmeade, and he wasn't going to mess it up; their relationship had finally taken a step forward.

Little did Remus know that up in the girls' dorm, Olivia was trying to force herself to accept the fact that their relationship had just taken a firm step back into the middle of the "friend zone".

* * *

><p>A few days later, Remus was woken by a shrill scream. He frantically whipped his wand from his nightstand, sleepily trying to find the invisible threat to their room. Instead, he saw a drenched James sitting upright in his four poster bed with a laughing Sirius dancing around the room with an empty bucket.<p>

"PADFOOT." James half yelled, half growled.

"Come on, Jamesy! It's time to get up!" He said in a sing-song voice. "You know what today is don't youuu?"

Without waiting for an answer and ignoring Jamess' grumbling, he continued twirling around the room.

"It's Hogsmeade, Hogsmeade, Hogs-ee-meadey, Hogsmeade!"

Remus watched as James perked up immediately. "Oh yeah! We are going to Hogsmeade today!"

Grabbing his wand, James quickly cast a drying spell before noticing Sirius looking at him cautiously.

"So, does that mean you aren't angry about the water?"

"Of course not, Padfoot ol' pal." James answered with a smile. "All in good fun."

Sirius smiled back at his friend before continuing his frantic dancing around the room.

"We're going to Hogsmeade! Hogsy-meade-sy, Hosmeade! We're gonna have some ARRRRGHHH!"

In a matter of seconds, James had conjured a large pool full of what looked like molasses while simultaneously sending a tripping jinx straight into his best friend. Sirius flailed his arms wildly as he landed face-first into the vat of stickiness.

Sirius flew from the molasses pool and stared daggers at James as Remus laughed hysterically. Peter fell out of his bed in a fit of giggles with a loud "thud".

Sirius gave an evil smirk as he looked at his friends. "Thought you said you weren't upset, Prongs?" He said in a surprisingly calm voice. "Syrup?"

James tried to control his laughter before answering.

"Technically, it's molasses. And I might not be upset, but I never said anything about not getting even, mate." He said while gasping for air. "But, I think you might be missing something..."

Sirius opened his mouth to shout a protest but was silenced by a waterfall of feathers that fell directly on his head.

Remus and Peter took one look at the massive pile of feathers before once again erupting into fits of laughter while James frantically changed into jeans and a red jumper, knowing a high-speed chase was most likely about to ensue.

James took off towards the door just as Sirius exploded from the pile of white feathers looking very much like a giant mutant chicken.

"PRONGS! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" He roared as he began to take chase.

Remus and Peter looked at each other before laughing again at the ridiculousness of the situation. There was no doubt that his friends were absolutely one of a kind, no matter how foolish they acted.

Leaning back onto his pillow, Remus thought about the upcoming day. He was excited, of course, because he was finally going to get the opportunity to persuade Olivia to give him another chance. He smiled happily as he thought about spending the day with her, laughing and frolicking around Hogsmeade together.

Remus' thoughts, however, were interrupted by a loud "BOOM" and two high pitched screams coming from the Common Room. Immediately recognizing the voices, he rolled his eyes and groaned loudly, knowing that his two prankster roommates had something to do with the distress, before bolting out of the dorm. Flying down the stairs as fast as his feet could take him, he prepared himself for whatever disaster had developed in the Common Room. In his haste, he took the first step off the stairs and ran straight into multiple bodies standing around at the base of the staircase.

Remus felt his body lose all equilibrium and begin to crash towards the ground. It almost felt as if he was going in slow motion as the mass of tangled bodies grabbed out at the air frantically trying to find purchase on anything that could help them regain their balance. He shut his eyes as the group finally crashed onto the floor on the Common Room.

"Ooof!"

"Owwww!"

"What the bloody hell was that!"

Remus looked around and saw that Lily, Olivia, Sirius, Margaret, and himself were all currently a tangled mess of bodies sprawled across the Common Room floor.

"Eww! What is this!" Margaret shrieked as she examined her arm. "Is this SYRUP?" She bellowed, looking around wildly before spotting James cowering in a corner.

"Technically, it's molasses." He corrected.

Lily struggled pulled her molasses and feather soaked body to her feet before rounding on him. "POTTER!"

"It was Sirius' fault! Not mine!" James yelled as he pointed toward the dark haired Marauder who was currently trying to pull his feathered body to a standing position on the extremely sticky, molasses-covered carpet.

Remus sat up and glanced around at the Common Room. There appeared to have been a giant molasses bomb that had exploded. The sticky stuff was everywhere; all over the couches, the walls and portraits, and a thick layer on the carpet floor. The two troublemakers had somehow even gotten it on the ceiling.

Continuing to survey everything, he realized that he, Lily, Margaret, and Olivia had somehow gotten caught in the crossfire and were now all covered from head to toe in the dark brown substance.

"No way!" Sirius shouted back. "James is the one who started this war! Look! He's the only one that doesn't have this sticky shite in all his nooks and crannies!"

As the group turned to look at James, who was still curled in the corner with his mouth hanging open, Alice and Frank came skipping down the stairway.

"What's up with all the noise, gu-AAAAAAAHHHHH!"

The group winced as Alice unknowingly launched herself onto the molasses covered floor.

"What the bloody hell IS this!" She yelled as she lost her balance, falling flat on her stomach.

Frank, having stopped before walking into the Common Room, reached out to try and help Alice back up as she was currently stuck to the Common Room floor while Frank tried to help regain her footing.

Turning back to James, Olivia looked at her friend with an evil smirk on her face. "Considering we have unanimously voted our current disgusting appearances to be completely James' fault, I only think it fair that we return the favor." She said as she began struggling to make determined steps towards the messy-haired boy in the corner.

"Now, Liv. Come on! You know it was just an accident!" James pleaded with his best puppy dog eyes. Seeing that she, in no way, slowed her deliberate steps towards him, James turned to the others in the group only to realize that now the entire group seemed to had caught onto Liv's suggestion and were now all converging on him.

James noticed that Frank, too, was now completely covered in molasse after apparently falling while trying to assist Alice.

Standing up to his full height, James looked determinedly towards his friends while mustering up his most commanding voice.

"STOP!" He bellowed loudly.

The group faltered in their steps at James' sudden change in demeanor, waiting to see what he said.

"Now here this!" He shouted as he made eye contact with the group. "If you think, that even for a SECOND, that you lot are going to mess me up, then you've got another thing coming! You know why?" He growled.

Olivia frowned and arched a delicate eyebrow. "Why?"

"Because..." James stated firmly. "YOU'LL NEVER CATCH ME ALIVE, YOU SILLY TWITS!" He finished gleefully as he dashed through the portrait hole.

The group glanced at one another quickly.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get him!" Lily yelled.

In a matter of seconds, the seven molasses soaked friends were hot on the tail of a hysterically laughing James. James continued weaving and bobbing through the crowd of students who were beginning to make their way out of the castle towards Hogsmeade.

Olivia felt the corners of her mouth tug upward as she saw the looks of confusion and amusement that countless students threw at the scene that was unfolding before them. She had to admit that they were probably a right sight barreling down the corridor in their current state.

James burst through the main door in the Entrance Hall and continued blazing a path towards the large Beech tree beside the lake.

"Get him before he climbs the tree!" Margaret yelled to the group.

"I'll get him!" Sirius shouted almost gleefully. Quickly, he raised his wand and shot a stinging jinx at his best friend as the messy haired boy began trying to launch himself up the trunk of the tree.

"OW!" James shouted as the small red jet of light hit him in the neck, causing him to fall rather ungracefully onto his back.

Quickly hopping back up on his feet, James quickly scurried up into the tree just as his assailants reached his makeshift hiding spot.

Puffing and wheezing, the group of friends skidded to a stop at the base of the tree and looked up at their friend.

"Come on down, you prat!" Sirius called up while trying to catch his breath.

James grabbed a branch with one hand and shook a fist at the handsome boy on the ground. "You'll never take me alive!"

"Ugh, I'm exhausted!" Lily moaned as she flopped onto the soft grass.

"Me too." Alice agreed. "Why don't you lot just let us know when you get him down..."

"...then we'll help you throttle him." Olivia finished as she, Alice, and Margaret laid down on the grass beside Lily.

Sirius rolled his eyes at the now resting girls. "Psh. That's the problem with you girls. You give up way too quickly. I'll show you how a man gets it done." He said as he puffed out his chest. Lily raised an eyebrow at his remark, but allowed it to slide.

Sirius turned on his heel and leapt into the tree.

"Err, Padfoot?"

"Not now, Moony!"

"Sirius..." Frank called in a warning tone.

Exasperated, Sirius looked down at the two boys. "What? Can't you two see that I'm trying to retrieve the object of our revenge?" He yelled.

Remus merely chuckled quietly and merely gestured to a point in the tree above Sirius.

Sirius shot the smirking boy on the ground a confused look before glancing at the branches overhead and into the end of an amused James' wand.

"Oh."

"Rictusempra!"

James howled with laughter as Sirius fell to the ground and rolled around in a fit of giggles. Frank walked over and cast the counter curse on an extremely grateful Sirius.

"Prongs, you wanker! This is just bloody brilliant! Now, not only do I have syrup-wait, excuse me, molasses and feathers all over, but I also am covered in dirt!" The red-faced boy yelled.

The group watched as James poked his head out from behind a branch and looked down at Sirius with mock concern.

"Oh Padfoot, is that all you're worried about? No worries! I can fix you right up!"

Sirius raised an eyebrow in confusion.

" Wingardium Leviosa!"

Sirius gave a loud yelp as his body suddenly lurched into the air.

"Now, hold still Padfoot and we'll get you all washed up." James said as he began directing Sirius' dangling body over the lake.

"Don't you even think about i-IIIIIIIIIIIT!"

The girls erupted into laughter as Sirius fell rather ungracefully into the depths of the Black Lake.

"Diffindo!"

Everyone's head turned as a loud "CRACK" sounded from the tree, soon followed by James' high pitched squeals as he came crashing down from the tree with a loud "thud".

James looked up at Remus and Frank with a pleading face.

"Mercy?"

"Get him!" Frank yelled.

Remus ran forward and tackled a laughing James just as he was trying to get away. Only moments later, Frank joined the wrestling match. The girls, on the other hand, had become disinterested in this whole "revenge" thing and opted to use their time more wisely by simply "scourgifying" themselves. Besides, they had much more productive things to do, like catch up on the latest Hogwarts drama.

Remus and Frank seemed to have the upper hand on James as they continued their wrestling match, until James slung Remus to the ground and lifted Frank up on his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"Do you want to wash off too, Frank? I'm sure I could help you as well!" He shouted happily as he hobbled towards the edge of the lake with the struggling Frank.

Remus hopped up from the ground and took off like a shot towards the retreating back of James. Never slowing, he tackled James from behind, successfully toppling all three boys into the dark water and on top of a yelling Sirius who was in the act of dragging himself from the lake.

The four boys resurfaced spluttering and coughing.

"It's freezing in here!" Frank shouted.

Sirius snorted. "No kidding, Sherlock. That's why I was TRYING to get out."

"It's actually not as cold as I thought it would be." James shrugged.

Remus smiled at Sirius and Frank before flicking his wand towards James.

"Arrrrgh!"

James disappeared from sight as a huge wave came out of nowhere and swallowed him whole.

In a matter of seconds, the wrestling match continued as the boys repeatedly dunked, tackled, and overall tried to drown each other.

"Alright, alright!" James finally shouted after Sirius had held him underwater until he very nearly blacked out. "Enough!"

The other three boys stopped in their attacks and looked over at James.

"Truce?"

Puffing and wheezing, Sirius, Remus, and Frank looked at each other and nodded.

"Truce." They all agreed.

Remus sighed and began floating on his back as the dark water gently lapped at the sides of his face.

"You know, the water really isn't THAT bad once you get used to it." He said to no one in particular.

"Told ya so." James smirked before glancing around with a frown. "Now, where are my glasses."

"We're really not in charge of keeping up with your glasses, Prongs." Remus replied cheekily.

James gave a huff of annoyance before pulling his wand out of his trouser pocket.

"Accio glasses!"

From the depths of the water came James' glasses, whizzing straight towards him. He easily caught them with his left hand and slid them into their place.

"Ahh, much better. They didn't even break!" He said happily.

"Like you couldn't repair them if they HAD been broken?" Remus asked sarcastically.

James narrowed his eyes at Remus playfully. "You know, Moony, you sure do have a smart mouth today. Seems like you might need to be taught a lesson." He finished as he began stalking towards the sandy-haired boy.

Remus looked at Sirius and grinned as the two began maneuvering their way towards James.

"Hey, whatever happened to the girls?" Frank asked suddenly.

James stopped and looked around before pointing off towards one of the banks. It seemed as though the boy's roughhousing had taken them quite a ways away from the bank where they crashed into the lake.

"Look! They are over there."

Remus chuckled as he watched the girls laugh over something Alice said. "They scourgified themselves."

"...and meanwhile, we are soaking wet." Frank finished with a smile.

"Well, I, for one, would hate to see the girls miss out on a little Marauder fun..." Sirius said with an evil smile.

"I'm technically not a Marauder." Frank interjected.

Sirius waved his remark off. "You're filling in for Pete."

James looked over at his best friend with a worried frown. "Padfoot...What are you thinking?"

"I think it's time we renewed the girls' interest." Sirius declared as he began swimming towards the unsuspecting girls lying on the bank.

Remus and Frank's faces immediately broke out into identical smiles, but James frowned at his friend.

"Padfoot! I don't want to piss Lily off today!" James moaned.

"Oh, come on, Prongs. Weren't you the one saying how hot Lily is when she's pissed?"

James stopped suddenly and appeared to be thinking.

Breaking into a grin, he turned and looked at Sirius.

"Let's get'em."

* * *

><p>Oblivious to the conniving boys, the girls continued lounging about on the warm green grass on the bank bed. Margaret's eyes were closed as her long, slender arms and legs were stretched out languidly across the lawn while Lily wove tiny white flowers into a braid in Olivia's hair. Alice was sitting cross-legged in between the three and was busy filling them in on the recent drama.<p>

"Did you guys hear who Danielle Swanson is dating now?" Alice asked excitedly.

"Who?" The three girls responded immediately.

"Alfred McCreary!"

"What!" Lily cried. "Isn't McCreary the one who beat out Tyler Himbeck for the Ravenclaw Seeker position?"

"Yes!" Alice said with a smirk, pleased that her news had brought some excitement.

"Oh, Merlin! I bet Tyler is going up the wall over that little development." Margaret added.

"Aww, I feel so badly for Tyler." Lily said with a frown. "He's been mad about Danielle since our second year!"

"Plus, he and Danielle have been inseparable since our third." Alice added thoughtfully.

"I just can't believe she would do that to him!" Margaret cried.

"Well, what would you have had her do?" Olivia interjected suddenly. "Wait around for him forever until he finally gets the bollucks to say how he really feels?"

She didn't mean for it to come across as harshly as it did, but when Olivia glanced up at her friends, they were all staring at her with a variety of sympathetic looks. Suddenly, she realized they weren't talking about Tyler and Danielle anymore.

"Oh, Liv." Lily said as she pulled her best friend into a hug. "It's going to be alright."

Olivia hung her head down sadly. "I don't know, Lil"

Alice spoke up at once. "Of course it is! Anyone with half a brain can see how crazy Remus is about you!"

"...It's just taking a while to get his lazy arse into gear, that's all." Margaret finished.

"He told me he wanted to be friends..." Olivia admitted while trying to fight the prickling sensation of tears forming.

"Rubbish!" Lily argued. "I've never in my life seen 'friends' look at each other the way you two do."

Olivia looked over at Alice and noticed she was nodding her head in agreement.

"Yeah, if you two are 'just friends', then I'm a three-legged bowtruckle." Alice laughed.

Olivia huffed exasperatedly. "Well, what the bloody hell am I supposed to do! I can't just stay in this weird limbo with him forever, can I? I've done everything I can possibly think of to try and get him to realize how much I care for him, but he has yet to get the point! I'm at the end of my rope!"

Margaret frowned and looked at her thoughtfully. "What are you trying to say, Liv?"

Olivia sighed and looked her three friends in the eye. "I'm saying that I can't keep driving myself mad waiting for him to decide if he cares for me enough to do something about it. As much as it kills me to say this..." Taking a deep, she plunged ahead. "...I think it might be high time I cut my losses and try to move on."

* * *

><p><em>"...I think it might be high time I cut my losses and try to move on."<em>

That one sentence hit Remus like a ton of bricks. The boys, who were currently sneaking up behind the girls, were planning a sneak attack that none of the girls suspected. But thanks to his sensitive werewolf senses, Remus had also heard the girls' entire conversation.

Remus stopped dead in his tracks.

Olivia is going to move on.

He couldn't get the thought from playing repeatedly in his mind. It was like a broken record playing over and over again, punching him in the stomach at every pass.

He knew he had to do something, and quickly, but he just didn't know what. As much as he would like to think he should just run right up to her and kiss her until she forgets about this whole "moving on" rubbish, he knew that he was just much too shy to do something so forward.

Remus sighed in annoyance as he continued stalking towards the oblivious girls with the other boys.

As he continued along, a thought struck him. All he needed to do was tell Olivia he was crazy about her, right? That shouldn't be too hard, considering he knew now that she fancied him as well. Granted, he didn't want to confess his feelings in front of everyone, but it would be no problem to eventually get Olivia alone to talk to her. In the meantime, all he needed to do was swallow his annoyingly present shyness enough to be more open about his feelings for her so she didn't move on from him immediately. It shouldn't be impossible-Sirius flirted shamelessly with scores of girls everyday, and most of the time, he really had no interest in said girls. So, surely Remus could up the flirting with the one girl he'd do anything to be with, right?

_Right_. Remus thought firmly as his inner argument finally concluded. He would show Olivia that he cared, and he would start right now.

Sirius led the pack as he snuck up behind the now giggling girls until he was less than a foot away from a lounging Olivia.

"Well, hello, ladies."

Startled, Olivia visibly jumped at the sudden sound.

"Merlin, Sirius! You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

Lily took in the boys' slightly threatening way they approached them and narrowed her eyes. "What are you doing?" She asked suspiciously.

James was the first to speak up. "Oh, nothing my dear Lily." He said innocently.

The corners of his mouth twitched as he continued.

"We were just hoping that you girls would join us for a little swim, that's all..."

The four girls scrambled to their feet and began backing away from the approaching boys.

"Don't you dare, James Potter!" Lily shrieked. "I am NOT going to die from pnuemonia just because you lot have nothing better to do."

"Oh, you aren't going to get sick, Lils...Just a bit wet, that's all." Sirius said with a smirk.

The sound of laughter interrupted Lily's retort. She looked to her side to see Olivia chuckling at the oncoming boys merrily.

"What's so funny?" She asked, slightly confused at her best friend's behavior.

"You know we are about to be drenched, don't you?" Olivia asked, still chuckling.

Lily smiled, despite her earlier anger, and couldn't stop the laughter that came soon after. "Yeah, I guess I do. What are we going to do about it?" She asked, looking at each girl standing around her as they faced the boys.

Remus felt his stomach flop as Olivia looked straight at him. Her smile grew even wider and her eyes were sparkling mischievously.

"Oh, I think you know."

Like lightning, Olivia whipped her wand from her jacket and had it pointed at the four dumbfounded boys.

"EFFLIO!"

The four boys yelled in surprise as a huge blast of wind flew from the tip of Olivia's wand, effectively knocking them all off their feet and flat onto their backs. Sirius was the first one to recover and saw the girls making a mad dash back towards the castle.

"They're getting away!" Frank yelled.

Sirius smiled back at the slender boy. "No, they won't! Carpe Retractum!"

Olivia gave a loud shriek as she was pulled backward into the air and straight into the waiting arms of Sirius.

"Hello, love. Going somewhere?" He asked cheekily.

"Yup!" Olivia responded before pointing her wand to herself. "Gravesco!"

Sirius yelped in surprise as the girl in his arms suddenly seemed as though she weighed as much as a hippogriff, causing them to both go crashing to the ground.

The three girls, seeing Olivia was now back in the thick of things, immediately turned back to help their captured comrade. Running back towards the group of boys, plus Olivia, Lily pointed her wand towards Frank and James, who were trying to aid the fallen Sirius.

"Arretica!"

A large net sprang from Lily's wand, successfully wrapping itself around the two boys and pinning them to the ground.

Remus looked up just as Alice was taking aim at him.

"Tarantallegra!"

"Protego!"

Remus was barely able to block Alice's spell before Margaret joined her and the three began a fierce duel with Alice and Margaret firing off at a laughing Remus.

Olivia muttered the counter to her self-inflicted jinx before turning her wand back towards Sirius, who was finally able to free Frank and James from Lily's trap.

"Anaticula!"

"Expelliarmus!"

Both spells rang true, and Sirius neatly caught Olivia's wand in his left hand.

"Looks like I've bested you this time, Liv!" Sirius said cockily.

Olivia merely smirked. "You never really can tell."

Olivia suddenly charged towards Sirius in an attempt at a purely physical attack to get her wand back. Sirius smiled and raised his wand at the quickly approaching brunette.

"Rictusempra!" He cried gleefully.

To his surprise, instead of a jolt of light flying from the end of his wand, a large, gray duck fell to the ground and began honking.

Bewildered, he looked down at the startled animal then back up towards the still advancing Olivia.

"Wha-? What did you do!" He yelled.

Finally catching him, Olivia tackled him as hard as she could, causing him to lose his balance and fall to the ground. Taking advantage of his confusion, she immediately put her knees on his arms, snatched her wand from his grasp, and pinned him to the ground.

Puffing slightly, she smiled brightly down at the shocked Marauder.

"Looks like you counted your chickens before they hatched, 'ickle Padfoot...Which, I guess in this case, it would be ducks, not chickens." She giggled.

She looked down at Sirius' disbelieving face and laughed again. "It's a new spell I came across in the library. No matter what spell you cast now, my curse will negate it, and your wand will only conjure ducks." She finished with a smile.

* * *

><p>Remus had finally caught a break when he had cast a successful "Petrificus Totalus" on Margaret, and Frank had come to his aide and began dueling with Alice. He saw that James currently had a laughing Lily slung over one shoulder and was now running towards the edge of the lake. Looking around, he finally spotted the two remaining members of their group.<p>

Feeling his chest tighten, he watched as Olivia laughed down at a bewildered Sirius as the two continued sprawled out in the compromising position. Remus knew deep down that their seemingly intimate arrangement probably meant nothing, but that didn't mean that he wasn't going to break it up immediately.

Making up his mind, he took off like a flash towards the two figures on the ground.

"Oi, Liv! What do you think you're doing to my best mate!" Remus yelled playfully.

Looking up with a smile, Olivia gave a small shriek and took off like a shot with Remus and a now upright Sirius in hot pursuit.

"Gelesco!" Remus shouted at the retreating girl's back.

"Ahhhh!" Olivia screamed as her feet suddenly became glued to the ground, stopping her escape immediately.

Jogging up to the now immobile girl, Sirius and Remus grinned at each other.

"Bloody prats." Olivia grumbled, aggravated at being beaten.

"Oh, cheer up, Liv." Remus consoled. "I think you did rather well, considering you had already beaten Padfoot here."

"Did you see what she did to my wand!" Sirius exclaimed to Remus. "All I can do is conjure blasted ducks now!"

Sirius turned and showed Remus the effects of Olivia's hex by unintentionally conjuring several ducks that were now waddling around on the ground at their feet.

Olivia quickly took advantage of their inattention and cast the counter-curse to the jinx Remus had put on her. Quietly shifting towards the two boys, Olivia turned her wand on Remus' turned back.

Olivia gave a yelp of surprise as Remus spun around quickly with a smile on his face.

"Oh, no you don't! Rictusempra!"

"Protego!"

Remus' spell hit Olivia's shield and ricocheted off harmlessly as their duel began. Sirius took this as his cue to flee towards the water where James, Lily, Frank, Alice, and Margaret had all ended up since his wand still wasn't working anyways.

As the pair continued to duel with harmless jinxes and hexes, Olivia couldn't help but notice how great Remus really was at dueling. He was light on his feet and lightning fast as he hurled spell after spell. His face was pinched in concentration even though a smile was playing on his lips.

"Levicorpus!" He shouted.

Olivia danced around the jet of light easily. "Locomotor Mortis!"

"Protego!"

"Petrificus Totalus! Tarantallegra! Impedimenta!"

Remus held his shield as Olivia continued throwing countless jinxes at him. He had to admit, she had gotten quite good at dueling. They had continued practicing with her each week, and now she was almost as good as Sirius and James. The only spell she still had problems with was "Incarcerous", and he really didn't understand why that was. He, himself, had been working with her one-on-one to try to improve the spell, but she still had had no luck performing it on her own.

He watched as Olivia continued throwing countless spells at his shield, trying to find a weak spot. Remus knew she would find no such spot (He wasn't top of their Defense class for nothing.) He smiled as realized that Olivia was no longer the girl who doubted her abilities during a duel. The girl standing in front of him was fierce. Her face was a cool mask of focus and concentration as her blue eyes blazed with determination. Her slender arms moved with confidence as she danced around gracefully and avoided the few offensive spells Remus threw at her.

She was absolutely magnificent.

Remus was brought back to his thoughts as Olivia sent a stinging jinx into his left arm.

"Ow! That hurt!" He cried.

Olivia smirked back at him. "All's fair in this fight, Rem!"

"Oh, really?" Remus asked evilly. "Alright then, let's go!"

"Obscuro!"

Olivia's sight was immediately blocked as a blindfold wrapped tightly over her eyes. Hoping she could remember where Remus was, she raised her wand.

"Levicorpus!"

Remus, not expecting an attack while Olivia was blindfolded, was taken by surprise when the spell hit him directly in the chest, dragging him upward into the air by his ankle.

Olivia smiled as she heard Remus' cry of surprise and immediately set to getting the blindfold off of her eyes. Hearing Remus cast the counter-curse on the levitation spell, Olivia knew she was going to have to hurry. Quickly waving her wand over her eyes, she banished the blindfold and saw Remus scrambling back up to his feet. Taking aim, she yelled the first spell that came to her mind.

"Incarcerous!" Olivia bellowed.

She watched in amazement as ropes burst forth from the tip of her wand and wrapped tightly around Remus' legs, toppling him over immediately.

Remus hit the ground with a loud "thud", but his eyes never left Olivia's. Struggling for a few moments, he was finally able to wave his wand to release himself. Scrambling back to his feet, he smiled as he realized that Olivia was still staring at him with her mouth hanging open.

Smiling to the shocked girl in front of him, he eventually broke the silence.

"Congratulations, Liv...You did it."

Remus watched in surprise as Olivia's face broke into an incredible smile before launching herself into his arms. Olivia laughed as she wrapped her arms and legs around him, holding him as tightly to herself as humanly possible.

"DID YOU SEE THAT!" She cried ecstatically. "I DID IT, REMUS. I DID IT!"

Remus laughed at her excitement as he spun her around. "Of course you did, silly girl. I told you that you would."

Seemingly oblivious to the fact that her legs were still wrapped around Remus' waist, Olivia hugged him tightly once more before leaning back and looking him in the eye.

"Thank you, Remus." She said sincerely. "That spell was beginning to drive me a bit mad, to be honest. I was really starting to feel like a failure."

Thinking of the promise he made to himself, Remus boldly pulled her body closer to his own as he placed his forehead against hers.

"Nonsense, Liv. I knew you would get it eventually." He said before giving her a frown. "But I don't want to hear any more of this 'failure' rubbish. You are absolutely incredible." He growled.

Remus smiled broadly as he saw the blush creep across the face of the girl still in his arms.

"So, you know this means I get to drag you into the lake now, right?"

Instead of the fight he expected from her, Olivia merely smiled sweetly right back at him. "Of course." She laughed happily. "I'm all yours."

Remus didn't think he had ever heard words more beautiful.

* * *

><p>From one of the highest windows of the castle, blue eyes twinkled madly at the group frolicking in the lake down below. Dumbledore knew that the friends were all going to wind up in the Hospital Wing, but he also understood that carefree moments such as these were going to be rare in the near future. Dark times were approaching their world at alarming rates. Disappearances and killings were appearing regularly now and soon, the despair of the world outside of Hogwarts would demand these children grow up too fast. The old man sighed as he continued watching the group. Soon, they would be thrust into a war that they knew hardly anything about and would be forced to make decisions that no child should have to make.<p>

Although their days of childhood were numbered, Dumbledore would grant them this pass; a day where they could be silly and make bad decisions. Sure, they would all be admitted into Poppy's care by morning, but days like this were would soon be nonexistent for them; days that were filled with laughter and happiness. Yes, Dark days were ahead of them, he was sure of it. He just prayed that they were ready for it as well.

* * *

><p><strong><em>I've been going back and forth between two ideas on where I would like to take this story, but I would love to hear opinions from you guys! So be sure to leave a review and let me know what you guys think! Thanks!<em>**


	13. An Easy Choice and a Bad Decision

**Chapter 13-An Easy Choice and a Bad Decision**

It was lunch time the next day before the group of friends were finally released from the Hospital Wing, and the girls were not pleased at having been caught in the crossfire of the boys' incessant pranks. They looked up as Peter came walking up the corridor towards them, obviously having been looking for the boys.

"Where have you lot been all this time?" He asked.

"Impromptu swim in the lake yesterday." Sirius answered with a smirk.

Olivia rolled her eyes. "More like 'impromptu case of pneumonia.'".

Standing beside her, Remus chuckled and bumped her shoulder with his.

Suddenly, Lily rounded on James. "I told you that we would end up in the Hospital Wing, didn't I?"

Luckily for James, he at least had the good conscious to look slightly abashed.

"Well, how were we supposed to know that Madam Pomfrey would be out of pepper-up potion?" He muttered.

Everyone laughed at James' expression as the group continued making their way down the corridor.

"Anyways," Sirius interjected. "Who's up for some lunch? I'm starved."

"I need to stop by the Common Room before heading down." Alice answered.

"Yeah, me too." Margaret agreed.

Sirius turned to Frank. "So I'm assuming you will be stopping by the Common Room as well?" He asked cheekily as he gave a pointed look towards Alice.

Blushing furiously, Frank nodded his head.

"Alright then, the rest of you lot, let's go!"

The group waved their goodbyes as they went their separate ways and began walking down the corridors. Lily and Olivia walked a few steps behind the four Marauders, who were now pushing and shoving each other playfully.

"So, Liv." Lily began. "Any ideas on what you want to do for your big day?"

Olivia slowed her pace as a look of confusion crossed her face.

"Big day?"

Lily gave a snort of laughter. "You've got to be kidding me, Liv. Don't tell me you've forgotten?"

Olivia continued walking as she wracked her brain for what she could possibly be missing. Laughing again at the brunette's obvious distress, Lily rolled her eyes exasperatedly.

"Olivia, your birthday is this Friday!"

Olivia's eyes widened in understanding before looking at her best friend sheepishly. "Oh yeah, of course! I can't believe I almost forgot. I guess it kind of snuck up on me this year."

Lily chuckled again. "Well, do you have any ideas?"

Olivia thought for a moment before answering. "Honestly, I would just like to hang out with you guys in the Common Room. Maybe have some butterbeer and just sit around like we used to? I feel like we haven't done that in forever."

"That sounds lovely. Something low-key then?"

Olivia nodded her head and was about to answer when James' voice caught the two friends' attention.

"Hey, Padfoot, look who it is!"

The two girls looked up the corridor and realized that Severus Snape was walking alone towards the four Marauders.

"Excellent." Sirius said softly. "Snivellus."

Snape apparently did not realize who he was walking towards until he was right on top of the group.

"All right, Snivellus?" Sirius called out loudly.

Snape reacted so fast it was as though he was expecting an attack. He thrust his hand inside his robe pocket and had his wand halfway in the air when James shouted, "Expelliarmus!"

James smiled broadly as the wand flew neatly into his outstretched hand, his wand still trained on Snape's person. Sirius let out a bark of laughter before addressing the defenseless boy in front of them.

"Now, Snivellus, you know that's no way to treat your superiors."

Peter sniggered shrilly behind Sirius and James, his wand also raised towards the greasy-haired boy. Remus appeared to be trying his best to look anywhere except at the scene that was playing out in front of him.

Olivia felt white hot rage course through her veins. Chancing a quick glance towards Lily, she realized that her emotions were mirrored on the fiery redhead beside her. With a curt nod to each other, they both strode forward, insistent on stopping the situation once and for all.

"Leave him ALONE!" Olivia shouted.

The four boys looked around and saw Olivia and Lily marching towards the scene purposefully. The smile that had been plastered on James' face faded into a firm line in the presence of Lily's anger.

"Hold on just a minute, girls." Sirius replied arrogantly. "We'll be done with this rubbish in a moment."

Olivia put herself between Snape and Sirius just as the handsome boy began to converge.

"What is your problem, Sirius?" She ground out angrily. "What has he ever done to you?"

Sirius pretended to think a moment. "Well, it's more the fact that he exists, if you know what I mean."

"HOW. DARE. YOU!" Lily shouted as she, too, put herself between the handsome Marauder and Snape. Severus' eyebrows went into his bangs at his old friend's action.

"I am tired of this!" She continued. "You lot walk around here as if you are Merlin, himself! Well, I've got news for you-You AREN'T. Severus hasn't done anything to any of you, so I'll be damned if I'm going to sit around and watched while you torture him."

Sirius turned and looked to Olivia in hopes of her rebuking Lily's speech but was only met with fierce determination.

"If you hex him, you'll have to hex us too." She hissed angrily.

Sirius looked slightly confused at the turn of events as he and the rest of the Marauders were now facing down the end of Olivia and Lily's wands.

"It's time for you lot to make a choice. Either you continue hexing Severus, in which we will fight against you and you can forget about associating with us, or you choose to grow up, stay friends with us, and leave him the hell alone. What's it going to be?"

Remus knew that his mouth was still hanging open at the sudden detour the situation had taken, but he knew that he didn't like Olivia being in the middle of the possible skirmish. Granted, he knew what the two girls had said was true, but he had always been loyal to James and Sirius after all they had done for him and normally chose to just mentally and physically remove himself from the bullying.

He was brought out of his inner-monologue by Olivia's voice.

"Choose." She said ill-suppressed anger. "Him or us?"

Olivia glanced among the boys standing in front of her before locking eyes with the one person whose answer she cared to hear the most.

"Remus?" She asked evenly.

As soon as he heard his name roll off her tongue Remus knew his decision. He had vowed that he would never do anything to hurt her again, and with that thought, he immediately walked over to her side. Nudging her slightly behind him in case of a negative reaction, he faced his friends. Standing up to his full height, he addressed the three boys that he commonly referred to as his brothers.

"I choose Liv."

He watched as the arrogance in James' stance sagged even farther before looking down at the blinding smile Olivia was now giving him. He smiled back shyly before turning back to watch the scene unfold.

"James?"

James turned and looked the girl he had been madly in love with for years. Sighing loudly, he looked towards Sirius.

"Sorry, mate. You're on your own." He said, before walking over to the now beaming Lily. Passing the redhead, he walked right up to the completely baffled Snape and held out the Slytherin's wand.

"I'm sorry." He said slightly awkwardly.

Snape eyed him suspiciously before taking back his wand. Giving Lily and Olivia a curt nod, he turned and cautiously began backing down the hallway.

Olivia looked back at a disappointed Peter and the still confused Sirius, who was still holding his wand towards the group.

"W-What just happened!" He stuttered. "Does no one besides me still think he's nothing but a slimy git?"

"I do!" Peter squeaked.

"Padfoot..." James started.

"No!" Sirius interrupted. "You know he's on the way to becoming a Deatheater! And, we just...let him go?"

James began to speak again when Remus cut in. "Padfoot, he has never done anything to us, and we have no proof whatsoever that he's going to be a Deatheater."

"But,"

"Enough." Remus said firmly in a tone that everyone knew meant he was not to be challenged.

Sirius physically deflated and sullenly put his wand back into his robe pocket.

"Fine." He muttered.

The group of friends stood in the middle of the corridor only a few moments longer before once again continuing down the hallway towards the Great Hall. As Remus turned to follow James and Lily, the latter of whom had her arm wrapped firmly around the former's, he watched as Olivia walked straight up to him, slipping her small hand inside his large one.

"Thank you." She whispered.

Remus smiled brightly and gave her hand a tight squeeze. "I'd choose you any day."

He watched as she blushed prettily before the two began following a laughing James and Lily.

Sirius and Peter were bringing up the rear, and Sirius had to admit he was pissed. He knew that the girls didn't approve of their violence, but he had every intention of getting that slimy git back for making a fool of him. He just had to make sure he did it where the Olivia and Lily didn't find out. He smiled evilly as he jogged to catch up with his friends.

_Oh yeah, Snivellus will get his...and I think I know just the thing to do._

* * *

><p>It was several days later that Olivia was lying in her four poster bed sound asleep when, all of a sudden, she was bombarded with a crushing weight and loud shouts. Her eyes flew open, trying to find the source of the large masses flopped all over her.<p>

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LIV!"

Olivia groaned before smiling sleepily, looking up into the faces of Lily, Margaret, Mary, and Alice. All of whom were currently laid all over her.

"Argh. I'm being smothered!" She groaned.

Lily smiled at her best friend brightly. "Aww, stop your whining and get dressed. The boys are downstairs waiting on us to go to breakfast!"

Olivia sighed in mock aggravation. "I thought that since it was my birthday, I could sleep late today."

The four girls laughed as they all hopped off the groggy brunette's bed.

"I don't think they'll excuse you from classes just because it's your birthday." Alice said with a smirk.

"Well, they should then."

Margaret rolled her eyes with a chuckle. "Oh, of COURSE! All hail Queen Olivia!" She began chanting as she dropped to her knees and began bowing at the foot of Olivia's bed repeatedly with Mary joining in soon after.

The girls erupted into giggles as Olivia wrapped her comforter around her like a cape and began waving at the occupants of the room elegantly. "Thank you, thank you." She drawled in her best "royal" accent.

"All right, you silly twits. Leave the birthday girl alone so she can go and shower!" Lily laughed.

"Yeah, Liv, go and shower." Alice said with a playful grimace. "...because you stink!"

Olivia looked as though she was going to shoot back a retort before stopping and shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly. "I don't have to shower if I don't want to...It's my birthday.

The group erupted into fits of giggles once again as Olivia ducked into the bathroom just as the pillow that Alice threw at her struck the wall.

* * *

><p>A short time later, Olivia emerged from the stairs of the girls' dormitory.<p>

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, OLIVIA!"

Laughing, Olivia looked down at the four Marauders, all standing at the foot of the stairs with large goofy grins.

"Thanks, guys!"

Stepping forward to give her a hug, Sirius smirked down at the brunette. "So, Liv. How does it feel to officially be a real woman?" He asked cheekily.

"I wasn't aware that I was a 'fake' woman before, Siri. I think I'm the same last night as I am today." Olivia laughed lightheartedly

Sirius snorted loudly. "Oh, you have a lot to learn, my dear."

Sirius quickly took Olivia's hand and led her into a smooth pirouette before pulling her back flush against his own body.

"What do you say you let ol' Padfoot show you the true passions of adulthood?" He said in what Olivia would assumed to be his "seductive" voice.

Looking over at her friends she saw the girls making various sounds of gagging while sticking their fingers down their throats in disgust. James and Peter, on the other hand, seemed to be trying to contain an eruption of giggles.

Olivia narrowed her eyes at the suave boy and prepared to tell him off in no such kind words, before she was interrupted.

"How about 'ol' Padfoot' back off the birthday girl before I punch him in his ol' face?" Remus said as he nudged himself between Sirius and Olivia, smiling broadly. Lily smirked as she noticed the smile didn't seem to reach the quiet Marauder's eyes.

The group laughed loudly as Sirius pretended to be frightened while attempting to cover every inch of his face from his would-be attacker.

Rolling her eyes, Lily walked up to a still laughing Olivia.

"So, Liv. Do you want your birthday present now or later?"

"Oh, Lil, I told you not to worry about a present!"

"You know that we were never going to listen to that." Lily shrugged.

James bounded up to Olivia and put his arm around her. "Yeah, Liv. You're basically a Marauder, and everyone knows a Marauder's birthday is technically a national holiday."

Lily rolled her eyes as the other three Marauders nodded their heads in agreement.

"Well, we could wait until tonight to open my present..." Olivia began.

"No! No way!" Sirius interrupted. "We have to give it to her now! If I have to deal with Liv's present being in our dorm for one more day, then I'm going to end up hurling it off the top of the Astronomy tower! The bloody thing tried to kill me just this morning!" He raged. "We give it to her now."

Olivia shot a confused look to Lily. "Err...Lil?"

"No, don't worry. It's nothing bad." She answered as she shook her head. "Sirius is just being a little pansy, that's all."

Sirius looked outraged at her statement, but was cut off when she began speaking again.

"Remus, do you want to go get her present from you guys' room?"

Remus smiled and shot up the stairs quickly. It was only a few moments before he was carefully shuffling back down the stairs holding a medium sized box. Walking over to where Liv was sitting, he placed the red and gold wrapped box in Olivia's lap.

Olivia chuckled at the obvious Gryffindor wrapping before looking at the group standing around her.

"Now, this is from all of us, although Remus did most of the work." Lily said as Olivia looked up at a now blushing Remus. "We hope you like it." She added with a smile.

Olivia smiled as she pulled the ribbon off and lifted the top off the box. Upon seeing the contents of the box, Olivia's hands flew to her mouth as she gasped loudly.

Snapping her neck up quickly, she looked straight at Remus.

"You went back that day, didn't you?" She whispered before looking down at the sleeping ball of fur in the bottom of the box. "That day in Diagon Alley..."

Remus put his hands in his pockets and looked down at the floor shyly.

"Yeah, I did." He mumbled embarrassedly.

Silence enveloped the room for several minutes before Sirius finally couldn't take it any longer. "Soooo...do you love it or hate it?" He asked slightly confused.

Looking up at Sirius, Olivia smiled brightly. "I love him." She said as she picked up the small kneazle from the box. She cuddled the small black and gray kitten lovingly to her chest and scratched its head softly. "Thank you guys so much." She added sincerely.

"Hey, anything for you, birthday girl!" James said. "...but you should really probably thank Moony for this one. He is the one that orchestrated this whole thing. He arranged for the little guy to be put on hold until the furball could be delivered to Hogsmeade, AND he got special permission from Dumbledore to go and pick him up down there a few days ago. All the rest of us did was pitch in our part of the loot."

"...and wrap the box!" Margaret added gleefully.

"So, what are you going to name him?" Alice asked.

"Sirius!" Sirius yelled out immediately.

Margaret snorted. "She is not going to name her kneazle after you, Sirius."

"...especially considering you just said you hated it." Mary added.

"I never said I hated it, I just insinuated that I didn't want to be around it, that's all."

"That makes perfect sense." Frank laughed."

"Well, it shredded up my favorite shirt!"

"You were trying to turn him purple, though..." James retorted.

"Alright!" Lily demanded before waving off Sirius' inevitable interruption. "So, what is his name?"

Olivia picked up the now awake kneazle, who was looking at her through its large silver eyes with an eery sense of knowledge and understanding, and considered her decision.

"Hmm..." She started, still contemplating. "I think I'll name him...Milo."

The fuzzy kitten looked up at his new master and meowed before lovingly nuzzling his head against her cheek.

"Aww, he likes it!" Mary giggled.

"Milo." Lily repeated, trying the name out on her tongue before commenting.

"I like it too!" She finally announced. "It suits him."

The redhead smiled brightly before petting the small animal still sitting in Olivia's lap.

The group continued talking and laughing until it was time for them to head down to The Great Hall for breakfast before class.

"Let me just get Milo settled in our dorm and then I'll head down." Olivia said as she gathered up her things. "Remus, wait for me?"

"Of course." He said with a smile.

Lily shot a smirk at the brunette before following the rest of the group out of the portrait hole.

It was only a few moments before Olivia was skipping back down the dormitory stairs to where Remus was. She saw him still standing right where she left him; hands in his pockets with that adorable crooked smile of his.

"Ready?" He asked as he offered her his arm.

"Almost." She said as she walked up to him. "I just wanted to thank you again for Milo. The fact that you went through so much trouble for me means the world. I just wanted you to know how much I appreciate it."

With that said, Olivia wrapped her arms around Remus' waist and hugged tightly. Remus wasted no time in snuggling closer to the petite girl.

"Think nothing of it." Remus said before placing a kiss on top of Olivia's head.

"So, ready to go see what the gang left for us to eat?" Olivia asked as she pulled back from Remus' chest.

"Knowing our friends, it's probably not a lot." He chuckled.

Making their way out of the portrait hole, Remus struck up the conversation once more.

"So, what's on the agenda for your birthday today?"

"Well, considering we have to go to classes all day, I think we are just going to hang out this afternoon after everyone gets out." She said. "You'll be there, right?"

"Of course." Remus responded. "But, I can't stay very late."

Olivia shot him a confused look.

"Full moon and all..." He mumbled.

"Oh, of course." Olivia said sadly. She knew how painful Remus' transformations were for him.

"Anyways, let's get to the Great Hall before all the good stuff is gone!" Remus said excitedly, hoping to change the subject.

"Race you there?" Olivia asked.

"Ok! On your mark, get set..."

"GO!" Olivia yelled before blazing down the corridor.

"Hey, no fair!" Remus shouted as he chased after the receding figure laughing in the distance.

* * *

><p>"AND THE BUTTERBEER IS HERE!"<p>

Olivia looked up from where she was sitting on the couches and chairs with the other girls as the Marauders barged into the Common Room, ladened down to the max with countless bottles.

"Merlin, Sirius! How much butterbeer do you think we're going to drink?" Mary asked.

"Well, you never really can tell Mary, dear." Sirius shrugged.

"Yeah," James interjected. "It's like they always say, 'You'd rather have too much than not enough'. Isn't that right, Padfoot?"

"Spot on, Prongs! And who could ever have too much butterbeer!"

In no time at all, the party was in full swing and most of Gryffindor was crammed into the Common Room. Olivia and Lily's idea of a small get together had suddenly turned into an all out party.

It was only a short time before sundown when Lily shut the music down to make an announcement.

"Hey! Everyone! Quiet for a moment!"

No one seemed to be listening to the redhead at all.

"Please, quiet down!"

"SHUT IT!" James shouted.

At once, silence enveloped the room.

"Thank you James."

"No problem, Lils."

Lily turned to address the crowd. "Now that I have your attention, I need the birthday girl to come over here with me!"

Everyone watched as Olivia made her way from her place beside Alice to the other side of the room to stand next to her best friend.

"We have a little surprise for you, Liv." Lily began before turning her attention to the portrait hole door. "Bring it in, guys!"

Olivia smiled as she watched the Marauders, plus Frank, march into the Common Room with a huge three tiered birthday cake.

A slightly off-pitch chorus of "Happy Birthday" rang through the room as the boys set the massive cake in front of a beaming Olivia. She began to laugh as she saw the homemade decorations and writing all over the giant pastry.

After the singing concluded and Olivia had blown out the candles, Alice, Margaret, and Mary began cutting and distributing pieces of cake to the mass of people.

"The girls and I baked the cake, but the boys persuaded us to let them decorate it." Lily provided as she and Olivia continued admiring the monstrosity.

Olivia turned and hugged her dearest friend tightly. "Thanks so much Lil. I love it. This has been the best birthday ever."

It wasn't long after they had eaten birthday cake that Remus came and found Olivia.

"Hey, Liv. I was just going to wish you a happy birthday before I had to leave."

Olivia hugged the sandy-haired tightly. "Thanks so much for everything, Rem. It's been a great birthday."

"Like I said before." He smiled. "Think nothing of it."

"Be careful tonight." She whispered.

Remus gave a solemn nod before turning and ducking out of the portrait hole.

Olivia sighed and looked around. She assumed that the rest of the Marauders would be leaving shortly and decided to go and grab another butterbeer before heading up to the dorm to check on Milo. As she opened her drink and took a sip, she noticed that Sirius and Peter had already gone, but James was still talking animatedly with Lily. Rolling her eyes, she began to make her way over to the pair.

"James?" She asked nonchalantly.

The handsome boy tore his eyes away from Lily and reluctantly gave his attention to Olivia.

"Yeah Liv?

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

James darted his eyes back and forth in confusion.

"Am I?" He finally asked.

Olivia smiled and rolled her eyes. "Yes, you silly twit! Aren't you supposed to be somewhere?" She prompted.

James stood there for a moment before it finally hit him. "Remus! Oh, Merlin! I was supposed to be down there ten minutes ago! Padfoot's going to be furious! Hey, wait! How did you know that?"

Olivia simply smiled sweetly at the spectacled boy standing in front of her.

"Remember 'Prongs', I know everything." She said seriously before giggling.

James shook his head bashfully. "Padfoot and I had a feeling that you knew. We should've known it wouldn't take you long to figure us out."

"Yes, I am a genius, but now it is time for you to go and help out your friends."

James threw his hands up in defense. "Alright, alright. I'm going." He laughed.

"And James?" Olivia asked as James turned around before reaching the portrait hole. "Please be careful."

"We always are." He said simply before disappearing.

* * *

><p>It was several hours later when the party finally drew to an end. Lily and Olivia made their way up to their dorm tiredly and immediately flung themselves into the comfort of their beds.<p>

Olivia didn't know how long she had been asleep when she was suddenly being shaken awake violently.

"Olivia, wake up!"

"Wha-? Who's there!"

"Shh! Be quiet before you wake the whole bloody dorm!"

"James?" Olivia asked blearily. She felt panic course through her as she took in his pale white complexion and shaky movements.

"Yes, now shut it!"

Olivia was taken aback at James' tone. In all of her time knowing him, he had never talked to her as he was then. She watched as he cast a silencing spell around her bunk before turning back to her.

"We have to hurry. Something's happened. Put on some clothes."

Olivia immediately hopped out of bed and began snatching items of clothing left and right and yanking them on as fast as she could.

"James, what the bloody hell is going on?" She demanded.

"It's Snape. He's on his way to the shrieking shack..."

"WHAT?" She yelled. In the back of her mind, Olivia was thankful that James' had the foresight to put up the silencing charm because her yelling would have definitely woken up her dorm mates by now.

Olivia hastily pulled an old Gryffindor sweatshirt on over head and the pair quietly flew out of the room as fast as they could, getting to the portrait hole and out into the corridor in seconds flat.

"Why is Severus at the shack?" Olivia asked immediately as they began sprinting towards the Entrance Hall.

James shook his head angrily. "It was Sirius. He and Snape got into a bit of a tiff after lunch today and Sirius told him about the secret passage under the Whomping Willow. He hinted to Snape that if he wanted to find out what we were up to then he should go down to the shack tonight. I think Sirius wanted to scare him."

"And you didn't STOP him?" Olivia chastised. She could feel her blood boiling at Sirius' stupidity. She couldn't understand how he could do this to Severus, or even Remus, for that matter.

"I tried after I found out what was going on." James said, slightly ashamed. "Obviously, he didn't listen to me. He thought I was trying to throw him off our trail. Afterwards, I tried to force him to stop, and let me tell you, Snape's one hell of a dueler..." He trailed off.

"It's not so easy when it isn't four-on-one, eh?" Olivia puffed out angrily.

"No." James said as they reached the large doors that led to the grounds. "That's when I came and got you. I know you two are friends, and if he's going to listen to anyone, it would be you."

Olivia knew that was true. She turned to grab the handle of the door but was stopped by James' hand.

"Liv, listen. Just get Severus and go. This is extremely dangerous, and if I wasn't worried about Snape getting killed then I would never put you in this position. So please, promise me that you'll get out of there as soon as possible. Ok?"

Olivia looked at the worried boy in front of her and hugged him tightly.

"I promise, James."

With that said, the pair opened the doors and slipped out into the blanket of darkness enveloping the grounds of Hogwarts. Olivia urged her legs to move at breakneck speed, straining to see ahead through the foggy night. She watched in shock as two figures crawled from the tunnel below the Whomping Willow just as they were reaching it.

"Sirius! Peter!" Olivia yelled. "Where's Severus?"

Sirius looked as though he had just seen a ghost and Peter was positively green.

After a few moments, James was fed up with their silence.

"Where IS he, Sirius!"

The use of his real name by his oldest friend seemed to snap Sirius out of his shock.

"Moo-, Moony g-got out." He said shakily. He stopped to take a calming breath. "Snape tried to get back to the castle, but Moony cut him off. They both just ran into the Forbidden Forest."

Olivia felt the blood drain from her face as she took off like a shot towards the forest. She could hear the cries from Sirius and James but chose to ignore them. She knew she had to find Severus before Remus did.

Knowing she would be safer in her animagus form, she transformed mid-sprint, and landed in stride on four legs.

_Not exactly the way I wanted to tell the boys_, She thought ruefully, knowing the three boys chasing her saw her change into a very familiar white wolf. _But there's really no time for that right now._

She immediately began searching for Severus' scent, finding it in no time at all and began racing through the foliage as fast as her wolf form would allow.

Olivia could feel the briars and brambles tugging at her fur and skin, but she paid them no mind, her sole focus on that of finding Severus as quickly as possible, hoping that she wasn't too late.

She leapt into a clearing and saw, to her horror, that Remus was stalking towards Severus, who was cowering near the base of a large tree.

Olivia pushed herself to her limit, trying with all of her might to get there before Remus could sink his exposed fangs into the defenseless boy. Just as the huge gray werewolf converged on Severus, Olivia hurled herself in between the two, snapping her jaws and growling menacingly at the huge wolf in front of her.

Severus looked up from the huddled ball that he had just pulled himself into to see a large white wolf standing in between him and the massive werwolf. He watched as the new wolf raised its hackles threateningly, daring the werewolf to take a step closer. The werewolf stepped back, seemingly surprised at the unannounced interruption. Severus watched as the white wolf turned its head towards him, appearing to gesture towards the path that would lead back to the castle while whining loudly. Its crystal blue eyes locked on his black ones, pleading with him desperately. Severus felt as if they were familiar somehow, but he couldn't quite place them. He had little time to ponder that familiarity though, because the werewolf had quickly regained its composure and began growling back at the intruder menacingly.

Olivia knew that she probably wouldn't be able to fight off the werewolf, she was just hoping that she could hold him off until Sirius and James got there.

The large gray wolf lunged at her, but Olivia managed to dodge the huge jaws nimbly. Thankfully, she had been practicing with her wolf form and had become very agile. Olivia decided to take a chance and swiped at the werewolf's snout with her sharp claws. Yelping in pain, the werewolf jumped back, the blood trickling down the end of its muzzle.

Hearing the rustling of leaves behind her, she took a quick glance and saw that Severus had scrambled to his feet before taking a chance to sprint to safety. Unfortunately, the werewolf also took notice of the fleeing boy and took off after him.

Olivia immediately pounced on the wolf's back and the fight was on.

Severus watched in horror as the flying masses of white and gray mixed, snarls and snapping erupting into the night air as the wolves fought savagely. He felt compelled to help the white wolf. After all, it did save his life, but his Slytherin nature was more worried about self-preservation at the moment.

Just as he turned to scurry back through the woods, he saw James Potter come barreling through the trees into the clearing.

"OLIVIA!"

Severus was confused.

Olivia? What is Potter on abou-...

All of a sudden, Severus knew why those blue eyes were so familiar.

That wolf is Olivia!

Olivia and Remus had been rolling all over the place in a heap of fur, but thus far, she had been able to hold her own. Yes, she would have countless bruises in the morning, and she would be extremely sore, of course, but the werewolf had found no weakness in her defenses.

...until James called her name.

She knew she had made a mistake as soon as she had looked up from her enemy at the sound of her name. It was just so common. Someone calls your name, it grabs your attention, and you look. You can hardly help it.

It took only a split second for the werewolf to take advantage of her inattention. Only a split second for the wild beast to swipe powerfully at her muzzle, cutting deeply. She could hear her wolf self yelping in pain as the huge wolf pinned her to the ground.

With no hesitation at all, the werewolf snapped its huge jaws around Olivia's shoulder. She immediately felt white hot searing pain as the razor sharp teeth tore through the muscle and tissue effortlessly.

Olivia looked up at the werewolf, hoping that Severus had enough sense to run away, when the huge stag that she knew was James rammed the side of the werewolf, throwing him off of her.

Glancing up from her place on the ground, Olivia frantically tried to find Severus. Seeing that he had just taken of through the forest, she felt a moment of relief, until she watched as the werewolf took off through the forest towards the castle, the huge stag hot on its tail.

"Olivia!"

She chanced a glance towards the sound of her name and saw Sirius and Peter running towards her in their human forms.

She didn't have time for this. She had to help protect Severus with James.

Lurching to her feet, she realized she was slightly unsteady, most likely due to the blood loss from her shoulder, but Olivia couldn't worry about that now. Gritting her teeth against the pain, she began running towards the edge of the forest where the two animals had disappeared.

"Olivia! STOP!"

Olivia ignored the cries from Sirius and continued her way through the trees, noticing it was much easier to navigate now that it was almost dawn. She figured that if Severus was fast enough, Remus might not even have a chance to catch him since he would be changing back any time now.

She was forced to slow her pace as the burn in her shoulder became too much for her to handle. Slowing down to a walk, Olivia felt her vision begin to fade.

Fighting off the haze of black that threatened to overwhelm her, she tried to pick her pace back up. Stumbling through the bushes, she felt her front leg give out before she fell to the ground roughly in a large white heap.

Panting heavily, she desperately fought to keep the darkness at bay as she laid on the forest floor until finally giving into the sweet numbness that unconsciousness brought her.

* * *

><p><strong>Review? :)<strong>


	14. Betrayal

**_A/N: A quick word to my reviewers..._**

**_FoxyAlterEgos- Ahhh! I'm sorry! I hope that I got this next chapter out quickly enough for you! Thanks for the review!_**

**_KamiaKeller-Thanks so much for the great review. I try to be very conscious of the way that I portray Liv, so I'm so glad you like her! Be sure to let me know if her character begins to slip!_**

**_Jofrench22-You're just going to have to keep reading to find out! Muwahaha! :) Thanks so much for the review! And don't worry about your english, I thought you did just fine!_**

**_Thanks to each and every one of my readers! I love you all!_**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 14- Betrayal<strong>

James breathed a sigh of relief as he felt the sun peaking over the horizon. Severus had thankfully escaped by the hair of his teeth. He turned to help the newly transformed Remus, who was currently sprawled on the grass beneath the Whomping Willow. He jogged over to his semiconscious friend and began nudging him gently.

"Moony! Come on. We've got to get you back to the shack before Poppy comes down her to collect you."

Remus groaned pitifully in response.

James huffed in frustration and placed a weightlessness charm on Remus. Picking up the teenage werewolf, he began maneuvering the pair of them down the long tunnel quickly. Placing Remus down on the small bunk, James began thinking of what needed to be done. He knew that Sirius had surely found the clearing where he had left Olivia and was hopefully almost to the Hospital Wing with her by now. Remembering her shoulder and the horrible repercussions that they would soon face from Remus, James shook his head angrily.

Sirius had a lot of explaining to do.

James attempted to make Remus as comfortable as possible in the rickety bed before turning to go and find the rest of the group. Turning, he jumped suddenly as Sirius and Peter came barging into the tiny upstairs bedroom.

"Prongs!" Sirius all but yelled. "How is she?"

James looked at his two friends in confusion.

"Who?"

"Olivia, of course!"

"How should I know? I was about to ask you two the same thing."

James watched the blood drained from Sirius' face before burying it into his hands. Sitting on the dusty floorboards, he began rocking himself back and forth.

"What's going on?" James demanded. "Where is she?"

Sirius gave no indication that he had even heard him, so James turned to Peter expectantly.

"S-She was bleeding pretty badly after you left t-the clearing. We were t-trying to get to her, b-but she jumped up and chased after you. We a-assumed she would be here with you..." Peter trailed off.

"She's still in the forest?" James shouted. "Let's go! We've got to find her! NOW!"

"J-James?"

James turned at the sound of his name to see Remus propped up groggily in his bed.

"What are you guys doing? Poppy will be here any minute." Seeing Sirius' vulnerable position, he frowned. "What's happened?" He asked, suddenly panicked. "What did I do?"

James cut him off immediately. "It wasn't anything you did. Don't worry about it just yet. Just lie back down and wait for Poppy. We've got to go now, but we'll see you in the Hospital Wing in a bit, ok?"

Remus nodded curtly, not sure if he should believe the confident boy in front of him. An uneasy feeling settled in the pit of his stomach as he watched his three friends dash from the upstairs room.

As the group emerged from the tunnel, Sirius grabbed James' shoulder. "Why didn't you tell him?"

James spun on his best friend angrily. "He's going to hate himself enough for hurting her as it is, thanks to your fuck up! Excuse me for sparing him for a least a little while longer."

Sirius hung his head, ashamed of himself for the stupidity of his actions. James took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"Let's just find Liv, alright? We can deal with everything else after we get her some help."

Peter and Sirius nodded their heads solemnly.

"Now, where do we start?"

"We should start back at the clearing." Sirius said, his focus immediately on finding their injured friend. "She was bleeding prettily heavily, so we should be able to pick up the trail in our forms."

The three boys involuntarily flinched at the realization that they would be using Olivia's lost blood to track her down.

Changing quickly, James allowed the rat that was now Peter to scurry up his leg to sit comfortably on the top of his broad head in between his impressive antlers. The huge stag ran after the barking black dog straight into the forest, its large strides keeping up easily with the canine's quick pace. When they reached the clearing, James watched as Sirius immediately stuck his nose to the ground in the place where he assumed they had last seen Olivia. A few moments later, the large dog looked up and barked loudly before trotting to the edge of the clearing, his nose still glued to the forest floor.

They had found her trail!

James followed quickly as Sirius blazed the trail through the denseness of the forest, leaving James and Peter slightly behind. James continued through the trail determinedly until a voice pierced the silence.

"James! Peter! Here she is!" Sirius yelled, obviously transformed back to human. "Hurry!" He added hastily.

James pushed his stag form faster as Peter used his small claws to hold on for dear life. Bursting forth from the bushes, James felt his heart plummet.

There she was.

Olivia was eerily still in her wolf form, lying on her side in the dirt of the forest floor. Seeing that she appeared to be unconscious, James and Peter transformed quickly, running to assist Sirius, who was already leaning over the unmoving figure worriedly. James fell to his knees beside his best friend and began looking over Olivia's physical state. He had to admit, she didn't look good.

Her shoulder was still bleeding heavily. Her snow white fur that wasn't matted with dried blood was tangled and dirty from cuts and thorns that she most likely obtained while fighting off Remus. Looking closely at her wound, James realized just how severe it was. Moony had really done a number on her, that was for sure.

"She's losing too much blood." Sirius said, slightly panicked. "We have to get her to Poppy."

James lifted his wand and murmured the few healing spells that he knew. Unfortunately, it didn't help much, just barely slowed the flow of blood. It wasn't surprising really, though, considering werewolf bites are normally much harder to heal.

"Those are the only spells I know..." James said. "We've got to get her to the Hospital Wing."

Sirius nodded. "But we need her to change back first..."

James thought a moment before nodding. He lifted his wand back towards the seemingly asleep animal.

"Ennervate."

The wolf's eyes fluttered a moment before opening completely, a loud whine emitting from her as she shifted. James was by her side instantly.

"We know it hurts, sweetheart," He said soothingly as he stroked her head. "We are going to get you to the Hospital Wing, and Poppy's going to fix you right up, but we need you to transform back first. Do you understand?"

Olivia nodded her broad head weakly before closing her eyes in concentration. The three boys waited patiently until Olivia opened her eyes again and huffed out in exhaustion.

"She's too weak to transform." Sirius said. "We are going to have to take her in her wolf form."

"How is Poppy going to help her is she isn't even human?" James moaned exasperatedly.

"Isn't there a spell to force on out of their animagus form?" Peter squeaked for the first time.

Sirius and James looked at each other hopefully.

"That's brilliant, Peter!" Sirius said. "Merlin, how could we have forgotten that?"

"I can't remember the incantation...Can either of you two?"

Sirius and Peter shook their heads in the negative.

"Shit! Now what?" Sirius asked.

James thought for a moment before clapping his hands together suddenly. "I'd bet my fastest broom that Dumbledore knows it!" James said enthusiastically. "Alright. Now let's get Liv out of here. Sirius, you run ahead and alert Dumbledore while Peter and I levitate her up to the castle."

"You sure?" Sirius asked, not wanting to leave his friends in such a state.

"Yes! GO!" James demanded.

And with that said, Sirius turned, transformed, and began galloping towards Hogwarts.

* * *

><p>Remus sat in his bed in the hospital bed nervously. Poppy had been administering countless potions to him for the past twenty minutes. He couldn't help but feel relief as the ache and pains from last night's transformation melted from his body, but he could still feel a little niggling of unease in his gut that something was just not right.<p>

He stared at the cream colored curtain surrounding his bed, willing his eyes to remain open. He knew he was fighting a losing battle against the potions Madam Pomfrey had given him as he felt his eyelids become heavy as lead weights.

"Poppy!"

Remus jerked from his dozing state as the doors to the Hospital Wing burst open with a loud crash. Hopefully, he had not been asleep for too long. Shaking his head to clear the haze in his mind, he listened carefully.

_That's Dumbledore._ Remus thought, panic beginning to grip his heart. His friends were the first thing to enter his mind; James, Sirius, Peter... They had been so shaken when he woke up in the shack. He needed to know that they were ok. Hearing the shuffling and worried murmurs of several different voices, Remus willed himself off the bed slowly. Pushing the curtain to the side, he glanced around and noticed another curtain pulled around the last bed at the end of the Wing. Drawing closer to the hidden bed, he yanked the curtains aside and took in the scene.

Madam Pomfrey and Dumbledore were quickly waving their wands over a pile of white fur. Remus' brows knitted together in confusion as he realized the mass lying on the bed was a wolf. Glancing around the small space, he felt relief engulf his whole being as his eyes fell on his two best friends.

"James! Sirius!"

The two boys' heads jerked up at the sound of their names. Remus felt the smile that had formed melt from his face as he took in his friends' bloodshot eyes and pale faces.

"What's going on?" Remus demanded.

James hopped up from the chair he had been occupying and raised his palms towards his angry friend placatingly.

"Remus, everything is going to be fine." He soothed before taking a deep breath. "There was an accident..."

Remus gasped as he saw the blood covering James' hands and robes. Nausea threatened to overtake him as understanding washed over his mind. Remus' eyes never left the wounded animal on the table as he addressed James'

"Who is that?" He whispered, pain and self-loathing evident in his every word.

Sirius jumped up and tried to help calm the stressed werewolf. "Now Moony, why don't you just go lie down for a bit until you feel a little stronger?"

"Who the bloody hell is it!" Remus roared.

James and Sirius' eyes widened at the normally quiet Marauder's sudden outburst. James' explanation was interrupted as the group turned at the sound of a long incantation from Dumbledore as he waved his wand over the unconscious animal.

The boys watched, slightly mesmerized, as the white fur disappeared, replaced by smooth, porcelain skin. The long snout shrank as wavy brown hair and a small button nose took its place. Vacant blue eyes looked on towards the three friends unseeingly. In only a few moments, Olivia was once again in her human form, lying exactly where the wolf had just been.

Remus gasped audibly as he felt the nausea return tenfold.

"No." He gasped hoarsely.

He grabbed onto the railing of the bed for support as he felt his knees buckle. James and Sirius were at his side in an instant, holding onto his arms to keep him on his feet.

"No!" Remus cried again, anguish radiating from his every pore.

Tears sprang to his eyes as he looked Olivia's still form over. Her hair was dirty and tangled, matted with a mixture of mud and blood. There were cuts along her face and arms, but what made the tears finally fall from Remus' eyes was the wound on her right shoulder. Heavy bandages were being placed on it, but that didn't mean that Remus couldn't see how devastating the wound was. He cringed as his eyes raked over what was left of the Gryffindor sweatshirt that she had been wearing which was now ripped and tattered beyond repair. Remus slid to the floor and placed his face into hands.

"What have I done?" He sobbed. "What have I done?"

James and Sirius looked at each other helplessly as Remus sat on the floor and completely fell apart.

Remus wallowed in his grief for some time before he was interrupted.

"Remus."

Remus glanced up as a hand touched his shoulder. Through his puffy red eyes he saw Dumbledore kneeling beside him with a compassionate expression.

"Do not make the mistake of believing that the fault of what you see lies at your feet. If I'm not mistaken, there are many tales that must be unwoven before the unanswered pieces from last night's events fall into place." He said wisely before glancing back at Olivia. "Do not fret. Miss Hansen will be just fine. Poppy is taking good care of her." Dumbledore reassured.

Remus looked up at the old man, tears still glistening in his eyes. "Her shoulder...the b-bite..."

"Luckily for Miss Hansen, she is an animagus; an unregistered one at that." He said as he shot a meaningful look towards James and Sirius, who immediately began looking anywhere but their knowing headmaster. "The bite will not affect her in any way since she was in her form."

Remus sighed in relief.

"...but, she did lose quite a bit of blood. Poppy has giver her a blood replenishing potion, a pain potion, plus a dreamless sleep potion so that she may get some rest."

Remus nodded his head numbly at the barrage of information, still not completely understanding how he had managed to almost kill the girl he cared for more than anything.

"But now," Dumbledore said, rising to his full height once again. "Mr. Black? Mr. Potter? If you will please join me in my office? I think there are some things that are needed to be discussed."

Remus looked at Dumbledore, confused to why he was not being included in the debriefing considering he was the one who was most likely going to be expelled for almost killing everyone.

"Was I wrong in assuming that you wished to stay here with Miss Hansen?" Dumbledore asked in answer to Remus' silent question. "She will surely want some company after she wakes." He continued with a slight smile.

"I doubt she will want to see me after what I've done to her..." Remus trailed off sadly.

"Nonsense." He argued. "If I'm not mistaken, and I rarely am, if I do say so myself, I think you'll be surprised at just how badly Miss Hansen will wish to see you...and her other friends, of course." He said,

Remus remained silent as Dumbledore paused, looking expectantly at the young boy still on the floor. After a few moments under the headmaster's piercing gaze, Remus shrugged his shoulders noncommittally.

"Splendid! Then it's settled. Come along boys." He said as he turned his gaze towards Remus' friends.

Remus wasn't as confident as Dumbledore that Olivia would actually want to see him, much less, talk to him once she woke. He watched as Dumbledore left the Hospital Wing in a flurry of purple robes, James and Sirius following him somberly.

* * *

><p>It was much later when Olivia finally felt consciousness return to her. Still feeling the weight of the lingering potions keeping her eyes shut, she tried to gain her bearings. She could feel the scratchy sheets that lay around her so she assumed she was in the hospital wing. Not surprising really, considering she was basically mauled by a fully grown werewolf. Hearing murmurs a few feet away, she strained her ears to try and distinguish the people they belonged to, but with no luck. Frustrated, she knew she needed to get her unresponsive eyes to open so she could figure out what was going on. Steeling herself, she tried with all of her might to force her traitorous eyelids to obey her command.<p>

Finally getting them to open only just so, Olivia was greeted with a barrage of blurry figures and shapes, but try as she might, she was not able to get her vision to focus. For the first time since she had woken, Olivia began to feel fear grip her.

_Why can't I see?_ She thought frantically as panic began to creep through her mind.

She closed her eyes once more as she called out for the one person she needed most.

"Remus." She whimpered, her voice hoarse from sleep and pure mental exhaustion.

Olivia heard the murmuring voices pause.

"Remus." She tried to call out again with a groan as she opened her eyes once more.

Olivia watched as one of the figures all but sprinted to her bedside and picked took her hand in their's comfortingly. Waiting for the person to confirm that they were, indeed, Remus, she felt confusion settle over her as no answer came.

"Remus?"

* * *

><p>Hearing his name on her tongue once more finally snapped Remus out of his self-induced stupor.<p>

"Yes, Liv." He choked out. "It's me." He continued soothingly as he stroked her hand gently.

He watched as she struggled to focus on his face, but to no avail. Remus reached over and brushed a stray curl behind her ear.

"I can't see you." She whispered as tears began welling in her large blue eyes.

"I'm here, sweetheart. I'm right here." He murmured.

She seemed to settle down a bit at his minstrations. Not willing to take his eyes off the girl that lay before him, Remus addressed the three Marauders standing behind him.

"Go and get Poppy." He said to no one in particular. "Tell her that she's awake."

Sirius nodded immediately and took off towards the Mediwitch's office.

"How are you feeling, love?" Remus asked as he continued stroking her hair.

Lolling her head to the side that she knew Remus to be sitting, she tried once again to focus on his face.

"Exhausted." She said hoarsely.

Remus squeezed her hand in a silent gesture just as Madam Pomfrey came bustling towards the bed.

"Miss Hansen! It's nice to finally see you showing some life in you!" She said happily as she began waving her wand over Olivia in intricate movements. "How are you feeling?"

"Exhausted." Olivia repeated. "Can't see."

The Mediwitch continued her wand movements before putting her hand on the girl's head in a motherly fashion.

"Yes, that'll be from the bite. You were exposed to quite a bit of werewolf saliva, and it began weakening your system." She explained clinically. "But don't fret. After your next round of potions you'll wake up feeling much better." She promised.

Olivia merely gave the older woman a weak nod, opting instead to save the energy it would take to verbalize a response. Feeling cool glass being pressed to her lips, Olivia opened her mouth and drank the offered potions without resistance. After downing several phials, she listened as Madam Pomfrey began speaking once again.

"Alright boys, out with you. Miss Hansen is going to need her rest. You may come back in the morning. She probably won't wake before then anyways."

Olivia struggled futilely against the hands of the Mediwitch as she began to panic, tears threatening overflowing onto her cheeks.

"Remus..."

The sandy-haired Marauder was by her side in an instant, holding her hand comfortingly like he had been before.

"I'm here, Liv."

She looked towards him pleadingly.

"Stay...please?"

Her quavering voice nearly shattered his heart.

"Of course, sweetheart. I'm right here." He reassured her. "I'm not going anywhere." He continued on without even a glance at the older Mediwitch.

Olivia's body visibly relaxed at his words and she closed her eyes, no longer trying to fight the effects of the potions Madam Pomfrey had just given her.

The Mediwitch looked at the two young people in front of her with kind eyes.

"Alright, Mr. Lupin may stay, but the rest of you lot, out." She said in a voice that left no room for argument.

The other three Marauders, all of whom had been huddled around Olivia's cot silently, all reached forward to give their friend their well-wishes.

"Feel better, Liv." James said as he placed a kiss on the sleeping girl's forehead.

Peter reached forward and gave Olivia a slightly awkward pat on the hand while mumbling something intelligible before scurrying towards the door.

Sirius looked as if he'd seen a ghost. His pale face looked down at the injured girl as if in a trance.

"Padfoot?" Remus asked.

Sirius shook his head and held up a hand before rubbing his face tiredly. It was obvious that he was having an internal battle with himself. Remus watched in confusion as he suddenly sighed loudly and walked straight out of the Wing without another word.

"See you later, Remus." James said as he gave one last look towards their sleeping friend before heading out the door after Sirius.

* * *

><p>The sun was streaming throught the windows of the Hospital Wing when Olivia woke again. Blinking sleepily, she noticed with relief that her vision was back to normal. Looking around the empty Wing, she smiled as her eyes fell on the boy sitting beside her bed loyally.<p>

"James."

The dark haired Marauder looked up from his quidditch magazine and smiled broadly at her. "Well, there you are, sleepy-head! We were wondering when you were finally going to come 'round!"

Olivia furrowed her brow. "How long have I been out?"

"Well, today is Tuesday..."

"Tuesday?" She asked, astounded. The full moon had been on Friday! "I've been out for four days?"

"Well, you woke up for a bit on Sunday, I don't know if you remember, but Poppy gave you some potions to put you back to sleep. You were only supposed to sleep for a day or so, but apparently you were really tired." James explained patiently. He knew that she would be confused about everything that happened. "Do you remember any of that?"

Olivia sat in silence as she thought for a moment. "Maybe a little bit..." She trailed off before looking up at James suddenly. "Where is Remus?"

James gave her a lopsided grin knowingly. "I was wondering when that was going to come up." He laughed.

He became serious once again, although Olivia saw his eyes twinkling madly. "He has been right here beside you since you were brought in, refusing to leave for food or class or anything, really. The only reason he isn't here right now is because Dumbledore, himself, came in here and basically demanded he go and get a shower and a bit of sleep."

Olivia felt her face go red as James smiled at her knowingly.

"He has been quite worried about you." He added with a smirk.

Olivia smiled as she attempted to sit up, wincing as a sharp pain shot through her bandaged shoulder. James quickly helped arrange the pillows behind her back to make her comfortable. Looking at her friend for several minutes, she finally asked the question James had been expecting.

"James...what happened?"

James sighed heavily, preparing himself to recount the events of the past few days.

"I don't even know where to start..." He said wearily.

Olivia reached forward and put her hand over his. "How about the beginning?" She said reassuringly.

James locked his hazel eyes with her blue and nodded solemnly. "Alright." He sighed again, rubbing his face tiredly before shooting a glance at her. "Prepare youself."

Olivia reached for his hand once again, seeing that the boy was struggling with the effects of everything that had happened.

"Sirius was peeved at Snape about that day in the hallway. You know the day when Remus and I said we weren't going to hex him?" He asked. Olivia nodded that she remembered. "He wanted to get even, so he hinted to Snape that he should go to the shack Friday night if he wanted to catch us out breaking curfew." Olivia gasped, but James only put a hand up to silence her interruption. "He even pretended to 'accidentally' let Snape in on the secret passageway under the Whomping Willow. Obviously, Snape jumped at the opportunity to get us expelled." James said as he got up and began pacing at the foot of her bed. Lifting his wand, he ensured the silencing charms were still in place.

"Sirius wanted to scare him." He explained as he ran his hands through his hair repeatedly. "It was stupid. He wanted Snape to see Remus in his werewolf form, but it went wrong. As soon as Moony smelled Snape, he broke out of the room. I had already tried to stop the barmy git, but he wouldn't listen to me. That's when I came and got you."

"Sirius did this?" She whispered, unable to believe that such a heinous act could be committed by the easy-going Marauder. "He did this...for a laugh?"

James nodded his head sadly, torn between agreeing with her anger and defending his best mate.

"My shoulder is mauled because that arsehole thought that leading someone to a werewolf would be a great prank?" She all but shouted vehemently.

"That was my fault..."

Olivia stopped mid-rant to look at the boy beside her. His head was hung as he slumped in his chair.

"What?" Olivia asked, confused.

"Your being hurt is my fault." He repeated.

James' head jerked towards the bed as peals of laughter rang through the enclosed space.

"I'm so excited to hear how you figure that." Olivia said with obvious mirth.

James shook his head sadly. "I was the one that distracted you. I called your name. If I would have just kept my big mouth shut, you could have fought Moony off. You had it completely under control until I interferred. Your form is magnificent, by the way...but, I..."

"Enough." Olivia interrupted.

She looked down at her friend as he continued to refuse to make eye contact with her. Grabbing his chin gently in her hand, she pulled up to force him to look at her.

"James, I don't want to hear another word from you. I'm in this bed because Sirius is a prat, so if anyone is going to be apologizing to me, it will be him."

James looked as though he were about to argue, but Olivia cut him off once again.

"So, what's happed since I've been out?"

James settled back into his chair before answering.

"Dumbledore took Sirius and I into his office after they initially got you patched up. Sirius told him everything."

Olivia's eyes widened in surprise. Sirius Black didn't admit to wrong-doings. Ever.

"Really?"

James nodded. "Yeah. I've never seen Dumbledore so angry."

"Well, I can't necessarily say I feel sorry for him."

"He really does feel horrible, you know." James said carefully. When he saw no immediate explosion from the injured girl, he continued cautiously. "I know what he did was wrong, and no matter what he says or does will excuse his actions, but you know Sirius. He doesn't think of the consequences. I'm not asking you to not be mad at him- Hell, I don't know if I've ever been this furious with him. I'm just asking you to consider allowing forgiveness to be an option eventually."

Olivia merely contemplated her friend's words before shrugging noncommitally, wincing as a sear of pain blazed through her injured shoulder.

"That was dumb." She groaned.

James smiled sympathetically before giving her a smirk. "Maybe you should work on not being so apathetic..."

She narrowed her eyes at him playfully. "Please continue, Mr. Potter." She said. "How is Severus?"

James' face regained its seriousness once again.

"Obviously, he was extremely shaken up, but no injuries besides a few scratches. Dumbledore took him up to his office and swore him to secrecy so Remus' secret doesn't leak. Let me tell you, he was none too pleased about that one."

Olivia smiled slightly despite the situation. She could only imagine the earful that the headmaster got from the Slytherin boy.

"He's been by to see you a couple of times, but you were always asleep."

Olivia leaned back and closed her eyes, deep in thought.

"Is that everything?" She asked wearily.

Just then, the doors to the Hospital Wing flew open to reveal a mass of red hair.

"Lily?"

"Oh yeah." James said as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Lily knows everything."

"Liv!"

Upong seeing Olivia finally awake and sitting up in bed, Lily took off at a dead sprint toward her bed.

"I was so worried about you!" She almost yelled as tears filled her eyes.

"Lil, everything is fine." Olivia tried to reassure her.

James stepped back to allow the reunion and discretely cast a Notice-Me-Not charm over the group.

"Everything is fine?" She yelled. "You almost died, Liv! That's hardly 'fine' in my book!"

Olivia shook her head and smiled at her friend. "I didn't even come close to dying, you silly girl." She laughed. "Just had a minor run in with something a little bigger than me, that's all."

"Yeah, a run in with a werewolf." Lily retorted heatedly.

Olivia didn't know how to respond.

Lily sighed before taking up her best friend's hand in her own. "Yes, I know everything."

Olivia felt tears fill her own eyes. "Are you mad?" She asked quietly.

Lily rubbed her face tiredly in a manner that was oddly similiar to James. "No...No, I'm not." She answered finally.

"I just wish you would've told me." She added, a little frustrated with her friend. "I could have gone with you. I could have helped..."

"I know you could have." Olivia interjected immediately. "I don't know. Everything just happened so fast."

"Liv, you're a bloody ANIMAGUS." She said exasperatedly. "You couldn't trust me enough to at least tell me that?"

"I hadn't told anyone yet. I wanted it to be a surprise. I was going to tell you soon." Olivia said sadly. "You're my best friend, Lily. You know I could never keep anything from you for too long."

James continued watching as the tears from the two girls' eyes finally fell while the pair continued watching each other silently. It was evident that Lily was only worried about the safety of her friend and was using anger as an outlet.

Lily reached forward carefully before the pair hugged each other as hard as was possible with Olivia's injured shoulder.

"I love you , Liv." Lily whispered hoarsely.

"I love you, too, Lil." Olivia whispered back with just as much emotion.

The pair continued hugging each other until James was about to burst from being so serious for so long.

"Aww, I love you gals too!" He said in a shrill female-like voice.

Olivia chuckled as Lily pulled away from her, each girl wiping away the evidence of tears from their streaked faces.

"James, you silly git." Lily mumbled half-heartedly.

James beamed back at her. "You have no idea how much I like you actually using my name now." He commented boldly.

Olivia waited for her redheaded best friend to blow a gasket at the apparent suicidal Marauder but was shocked when Lily merely shrugged nonchalantly.

"You saved my best friend. I think you have earned it." She said simply.

Olivia thought that James' face was literally going to split in half as his smile grew even larger at his crush's words.

"Thanks, Lily."

"Anyways," Lily said, addressing them both. "What about Remus? Does he know everything that happened with Sirius?" She asked. Olivia noticed how the normally kind Gryffindor's expression darkened distinctly as she mentioned the handsome Marauder's name.

"No." James said looking positively frightened. "Dumbledore said he would tell him after he got some rest, which, actually, should be any time now."

"I can't say I'm going to envy Sirius when Remus gets wind of what happened." Lily said to James after glancing quickly to Olivia. "He's going to need a team of Healers after Remus is done with him."

Olivia nodded solemly. "Yeah, it would have ruined Remus' life had he'd actually caught Severus." Shaking her head sadly, she continued. "It would've been straight to Azkaban for him."

"Yeah, Moony is going to be pretty pissed about what could have happened to Snape." He agreed. "But, I have a feeling Sirius should be more worried about what he's going to do when he realizes how much danger Sirius inadvertantly put you in."

Lily smirked as Olivia's face turned a bright shade of red. "Well, I'm sure he is going to be upset either way." She mumbled embarrasedly.

"Did you just say 'inadvertedly'?" Lily asked James suddenly.

James shot her a lopsided smile. "A little impressed, are we?"

"Just surprised that you actually knew what it meant, much less when to appropriately use it in a sentence."

Olivia chuckled hoarsely at James' offended frown he gave to her. Lily gave her a concerned look at the fatigue that seemed to overtake her demeanor.

"Are you alright, Liv?"

"Yeah, I'm just starting to get tired again." She responded wearily. "I think my potions are wearing off."

"Here, I'll go get Poppy for you." James responded immediately. He didn't want the poor girl to be anymore uncomfortable than she already had to be. He stopped suddenly before spinning around. "Oh, Merlin! I just remembered that Poppy had told me to come and get her as soon as you woke up." He said. "She's going to kill me!"

Olivia gave a small smile as Lily laughed at James' bulging eyeballs.

"If she asks you how long you've been awake, you have to tell her that you just woke up, alright?"

Olivia lifted an eyebrow at him.

"Please, please, please, Liv!" He pleaded.

"Oh, alright. Stop your whining."

"Yes! You're an absolute peach, Liv! I'll be right back." He said as he trotted off to the Mediwitch's office.

It was only a few moments later when James was walking back towards the bed with Madam Pomfrey that the doors of the Hopsital Wing opned once more to reveal a very haunted looking Remus Lupin.

Olivia frowned as she looked him over. There were new scratches along his jaw and face; evidence of the fight between Moony and herself. The school robes he was wearing looked as though they had been haphazardly thrown on as if he had been in a great hurry. But what concerned Olivia the most were his eyes. The normally vibrant and bright orbs that were a constant source of happiness for Olivia were hollow and dull with stress and weariness, and they were locked unwaveringly with hers.

"Olivia?" Remus called unsurely as he began to shuffle towards her. Olivia's brows furrowed in confusion. It was as if he didn't believe that she was actually awake.

She offered him a small smile before nodding to him in reassurance. In seconds flat, Remus was crouching beside her bed looking at her intensely.

Lily nudged James as she motioned towards the other side of the wing, and the two of them, plus the Mediwitch, backed away from the couple to give them some time alone.

"Hi, Rem." Olivia whispered, hoping her voice didn't sound as tired as she knew it did.

"Hi." He whispered back hoarsely, his voice laced with emotion.

The two continued staring at one another until Remus could no longer take it.

"Liv, I'm so sorry." He said, anguished, tears flowing freely down his cheeks. "I-I don't even know how to make you understand how sorry I am. I never meant for this to happen, you have to believe me. Please forgive me"

Olivia reached over and grabbed his hand, rubbing it comfortingly. "Shhh" She soothed gently as she pushed his bangs out of his eyes. "Remus, please, listen to me for a moment."

Remus turned his sad amber eyes towards her.

"There is nothing to forgive."

"I could have killed you!" He said, suddenly angry. "You almost died because I am a MONSTER!"

"Remus..." Olivia said softly.

"There is no forgiving what I have done...What I am..." He continued as his anger melted into pure emotion once again. "...I could have killed you..." He moaned pitifully as he laid his head face-down on Olivia's lap, one arm laying over her waist while the other continued holding her hand as if he was worried she would suddenly disappear. "...I could have killed you..."

Olivia pushed through her fatigue to pull the suffering boy's head up and cupped her hand gently on his cheek.

"...But you didn't." She answered him. "I'm right here, Remus, and I am fine."

"I'm a monster."

"Shut your silly little mouth, you." She chuckled as she wiped the tear streaks from his face. "You are so kind, and loyal, and good. It's quite overwhelming sometimes, honestly. So I don't want to hear anymore of this nonsense from you. I'll be out of here in no time, and we can get on with our lives. Alright?"

Remus looked up at the smiling girl looking down at him and felt as though his heart was going to burst. She was completely mesmerizing.

"Alright." He agreed finally.

"Good." She said, sighing. "Now come here and give me a hug."

Remus carefully maneuvered his arms just like Lily had, making sure not to jostle her injured shoulder.

"I'm so glad you're ok." He whispered into her hair, still holding her closely to him. He tightened his hold slightly as Olivia gave a contented sigh and nuzzled herself farther into his chest.

Eventually pulling back, Remus took in Olivia's pale complexion as she rested on the cot with her eyes closed.

"I'm going to get Poppy so she can check you out. You look beat."

Remus got up from his place beside Olivia and with a quick kiss to her forehead, he called for Madam Pomfrey. She immediately came over to set Olivia up with her next round of potions.

"How are you feeling, Miss Hansen?"

"Much better than before." Olivia responded. "Just very weak and tired."

"How's the pain?"

"Not bad at all."

"Have you been awake for long?" She asked suddenly.

"No m'am." Olivia answered as she narrowed her eyes towards James, who smiled broadly, letting him know he owed her.

"Very well. I'll just set you up with a few strengthening and blood replenishing potions then." The Mediwitch responded before turning and bustling off towards her potions cabinet.

"So, Moony," James said as he and Lily walked back to Olivia's bedside. "Feeling better?"

Remus looked up from where he had been watching over Olivia intently. "Much." He responded with a very small smirk.

James smiled broadly. He knew it was going to take Remus a while to get over his self-deprecation for what had happened, but he was glad to see that Olivia had already gotten him well on his way to forgiving himself.

"Maybe now everything can go back to normal." James said hopefully.

"Yes." Lily agreed. "Although, Sirius still has an appointment with my fist the next time I see him." She added angrily.

"Get in line." Olivia mumbled.

"No."

Olivia and Lily looked to where Remus was sitting, still caressing Olivia's hand gently. Her eyes widened as she took in the animalistic ferocity that flashed in his amber orbs. His lips were pulled back slightly over his seemingly sharper teeth as he looked down at nothing in particular darkly. Olivia had never seen him so wolf-like.

"Sirius will answer to me."

The shocked group merely nodded at Remus as Madam Pomfrey came back from the cabinet, ladened down with Olivia's potions. Remus shook his head as if to clear it, and when he looked back up at Olivia, his eyes no longer held any animosity.

"Here, now." Madam Pomfrey said gently. "You need to take these three-No, this one first." She said as she handed Olivia a phial.

Olivia downed all of the offered potions quickly before addressing the older woman once again.

"Poppy, how long am I going to have to stay in here?"

"If you will rest as you should, then you can leave in a few days."

"Great." She answered, feeling herself become even more sleepy; something she didn't even realize was possible.

"Alright, Liv. You are about to pass out, so I think we'll be going now." Lily told her, seeing the tiredness in her best friend's eyes. "Come on, James. You can walk me to the Common Room."

"Excellent!" He answered immediately. "We'll be back later, Liv. Bye, Remus."

Remus turned to Olivia as James and Lily began making their way down the Wing towards the door.

"Did you want me to go and let you rest?"

"Of course not." Olivia answered. "I want you with me...unless you want to go..."

"No, no." Remus answered immediately. "I just wanted to make sure, that's all."

"Silly, Remus." Olivia said as she brought his hand up to nuzzle against her cheek. She closed her eyes and nestled into the cot, his hand still drawn close to her chest in her own hand. "I always want you with me."

Remus smiled happily before looking up at the sound of the door opening. Feeling the smile wipe completely off of his face, he felt the wolf in him trying thrash and claw to the surface as his now animalistic amber eyes locked with those familiar silver eyes. Olivia's eyes snapped open at the sound of Remus' voice.

"How dare you show your face in here, Sirius." He called out murderously as he began stalking towards his ex-best friend.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Review?<em>**


	15. The After Effects

_**Hi guys! Yeah, I've known it's been a horribly long time since I've posted, but there have been so many recent developments in my life that I had to put the story on the back burner for a while. In other news, I'M ENGAGED! Ahhhh! I'm so excited! And I feel like all of you would appreciate the fact that my fiance proposed to me by presenting me with "The Half-blood Prince" (hardcover) in front of all of our friends...I opened it up, and a square had been hollowed out in the middle. The chapter that was showing was "The Unbreakable Vow" and there, lying in the middle, was an engagement ring. I looked up from the book and he was down on one knee! Obviously, I said yes. :) I'll try to post pics on my profile later, but for now, here is the next chapter!** _

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 15: The After Effects<strong>

Olivia sat up quickly at the loud "crack" of Remus' fist connecting with Sirius' jaw. In no time at all, Sirius was on the floor trying to hide himself from the onslaught of punches as Remus pummeled him incessantly.

"I...almost...KILLED THEM...because...of...YOU!" Remus roared between hurling blows to Sirius' stomach and face.

"Remus!" Olivia called out hoarsely. As pissed as she was with Sirius, she didn't want Remus to kill him.

"Stop, Remus!" Lily yelled as the two continued rolling around on the floor of the Hospital Wing. "He's not worth it..."

James merely watched as his two best friends hashed it out for a while longer before pulling his wand out and muttering a quick incantation. With a loud "BANG", Remus was sitting on his backside near Olivia's bed with Sirius several feet away looking bloody and battered.

Remus was back on his feet in an instant, ready for round two.

"I agree with you, Moony!" Sirius shouted pleadingly. "I know what I did was wrong, and I just wanted to apologize. I don't expect any of you to forgive me, but I just wanted to say it anyways..." He finished solemnly. "I didn't mean for it to get so out of hand."

"Oh, it got a little 'out of hand' for you, did it?" Remus fumed sarcastically. "It wasn't as much fun when people's lives were on the line?" He bellowed as James struggled to hold him back from attacking Sirius again.

Sirius held up his palms towards the werewolf in a placating gesture.

"Moony, please." He begged. "I only came to apologize."

"There is nothing that you can say to make what you've done excusable." Remus spat viscously.

"Moony...please."

"I almost KILLED her, you bloody git!" He continued, tears threatening to spill from his blazing eyes.

Olivia struggled futilely against the sleeping potions Madam Pomfrey had given her. Even with the commotion of the two boys fighting, she could feel as her eyes drooped, the raised voices of Remus and Sirius becoming fuzzy and muted in the background of her consciousness as she continued straining to listen.

"I'm sorry...Please believe..."

"Do you...idea...how...care for her"

Darkness enveloped her in a warm cocoon of nothingness.

"Enough!" Lily whispered harshly as she put herself between the two boys. "Liv's potions have kicked in, and she needs to rest!" She said as she gestured to the now sleeping Liv while glaring menacingly at the pair.

Remus' eyes immediately locked onto the resting girl in the bed before turning back to Sirius who was also looking at Olivia sadly.

"Leave." Remus commanded simply.

Sirius looked up pleadingly. "Remus, please don't do this. I'm so sorry. I know it was stupid..."

Remus shook his head angrily as he turned to walk away from the distraught boy.

"Remus, please! I'm your frien-"

"NO!" Remus growled as he whipped around towards Sirius, getting in the slightly shorter boy's face. "Don't you dare refer to yourself as my friend!" He said as he tried to keep his voice down.

Sirius' eyes went wide as Remus struggled to hold himself back before he tried attacking Sirius again. He watched as the werewolf's hands clenched and unclenched near his face before Remus took a calming breath and latched his hands to his side. He couldn't remember ever feeling this much anger towards someone in his entire life.

"Stay away from Liv." He said, his amber eyes flashing wildly once more. "And stay away from me."

Sirius felt his chest constrict painfully as the full weight of Remus' words hit him. He watched as Remus backed away from him, stopping in front of Lily and James who were looking at him solemnly before speaking again.

"You are no friend of ours."

* * *

><p>A few weeks later found Olivia in the library, double checking that she had caught up with all of her lessons that she had missed. She had ended up staying in the Hospital Wing a total of six days, which meant they were now in their final week of school for the year. Exams were to be taken on Thursday and Friday, the dueling tournament was on Saturday morning, the Leaving Feast would be Saturday night, and the Hogwart's Express was scheduled to depart first thing Sunday morning. Five days total stood between her and her last day as a sixth year at Hogwarts.<p>

Her right arm was still bandaged up thickly, and she had agreed to wear a sling for the duration of the term, which meant limited spell work, but she was glad to be out that place. With the dueling tournament just a few short days away, it seemed as though everyone was cramming in extra practice time between grueling study sessions. Even Lily had made time to practice with James in the Common Room. Olivia had, grudgingly, agreed to not participating in the tournament to ensure she didn't re-injure her mending shoulder. Although Madam Pomfrey had been unwavering about her sitting out the event, Olivia had been surprised to see Remus side with the Mediwitch during their disagreement. He had been just as, if not more, adamant as the older woman about her sitting out of the contest in fear of her wound reopening.

Olivia sighed as she readjusted her rucksack on her good shoulder. She was ready for this year to be over. She had grown tired of feeding everyone the lie about how she had been injured by a freak slicing hex during a late night Defense tutoring session.

She hurried her steps down the corridor, knowing that Remus would be getting worried if she didn't show up in the Common Room soon. She sighed tiredly as the thought ran through her mind.

Remus.

He had remained a constant beside her bed throughout her stay in the Hospital Wing. Olivia had hoped that with all the time they had been spending together, they would finally have a chance to talk about the closeness they had experienced immediately following the incident.

Olivia shook her head, frustrated. Remus had been practically glued to her side since her release. He carried her books, opened doors, escorted her everywhere, and even performed occasional spellwork on her behalf.

It was maddening!

She sighed again, glad that no one was able to hear her thoughts. She was sure she sounded like a complete bint. Obviously, Olivia was exceedinly thankful for Remus' help. It was just everything else about him that was frustrating her at the moment. The tension between them that had been near palpable in the Wing had completely vanished.

Remus was unwaveringly focused on helping Olivia day in and day out. She conceded that she probably shouldn't be so frustrated with the poor boy. She knew that this was his way of coping with the fact that he had injured her. Olivia, on more than one occasion, had argued that she was perfectly capable of carrying her things to class, but the sandy-haired boy had merely smiled, shrugged noncommittally, picked up her rucksack, and continued on his way.

And then there was Sirius.

After beating the shite out of him in the Hospital Wing, Remus had told Sirius to stay away from him and Olivia alike. Sirius had left the wing looking completely lost. James, Peter, Lily, and herself had tried to stay out of the feud as much as possible, but the pair were making it difficult. Remus refused to acknowledge Sirius' existence, and Sirius refused to give up on gaining forgiveness from all of his friends-Olivia and Remus especially. It had taken three days after her release when Olivia finally agreed to forgive Sirius. It had been an emotional discussion late one night between the pair that had done it. Olivia now knew just how very sorry the handsome Marauder was, as well as how truly worried he was at the thought of Remus not forgiving him.

Olivia had honestly not expected for Remus to stay mad this long, but he was. James swore the reason for the grudge was because it was Olivia that Sirius had put in danger, but Olivia wasn't completely sold on that theory.

She continued her way up the staircases towards the Common Room entrance, hoping to make it back before everyone left for dinner.

"Gillyweed" She spoke politely to the Fat Lady.

"Nice to see you're feeling better, Dear." The portrait told her before swinging open to reveal the Gryffindor Common Room.

Olivia nodded her head in thanks as she made her way through the tunnel.

"Liv! Where've you been all my life? We've been looking everywhere for you!"

Olivia started at the sudden shout before turning to see Sirius, James, Lily, Peter, Mary, Margaret, and, surprisingly, Remus all in different forms of lounging along the Common Room couches.

"Apparently not." Liv called back, smiling. "Or you would've found me, now wouldn't you?"

"Oooh, we've got a comedian on our hands, do we?" James laughed.

Olivia continued towards her friends, readjusting her bag once more on her good shoulder. She watched as Remus hopped up from his prone position on the floor and loped towards her, already knowing what the sandy-haired boy was going to say.

"Here Liv, let me take your bag for you." He offered, gently taking the bag from her uninjured shoulder before she even had a chance to object.

"Thank you, Remus." She replied, deciding that the argument that was sure to follow her objection just honestly wasn't worth it.

"How are you feeling today, Liv?" Margaret asked as Olivia took a seat next to Lily on one of the couches.

"I'm feeling much better, actually. It still twinges a bit, but it's better. Unfortunately, Madam Pomfrey is as stubborn as a mule. She is still insisting I sit out for the dueling tournament this weekend." She finished with a slight huff.

"And she's right." Lily interjected. "Your shoulder needs more time before you're back to normal."

Olivia noticed a look of shame flash across Sirius' face as he ducked his head embarrassedly before she glanced back at Lily.

"I just hate that all of that extra Defense training went to waste." She murmured sadly.

"Aww, don't worry, Liv." James said as he ruffled her hair playfully. "We'll take down those slimy Slytherins for you. Isn't that right, Padfoot?"

"You've got that right, Prongsie!" Sirius shouted, springing to his feet in a ready-to-attack position.

"But wait!" James yelled boisterously as he held his arms up, palms outward towards his best friend.

Being interrupted just before his attack, Sirius quickly attempted to regain his balance.

"What?"

"You're forgetting the most important part of pre-battle preparation..."

Sirius pulled a confused look.

"Which is?"

"We must feast!"

Lily snorted. "James, the tournament isn't until this weekend."

"But you forget, my lovely Lily flower, that we are big strong men, and, therefore, we have to have more sustenance than you delicate little blossoms" He finished as he gently tapped her on nose.

"Delicate?" Lily growled, a warning clear in her tone.

"Of course." James continued, oblivious to the redhead's growing anger. "It's just the way things are, I suppose. Men are strong, and women are..."

"Weak?" Lily nearly shrieked as her fingers wrapping around the handle of her wand.

"Now, that's not what I said." James tried to placate, noticing the frowning faces of the girls and finally realizing that he had managed to unknowingly piss off a rather large group of powerful witches.

"But it's what you were going to say, wasn't it?"

"Er...I mean, um..." James stuttered, backing away from Lily as she began slowing stalking towards him.

Margaret laughed, apparently having decided the situation was just too amusing to continue being angry at the idiot boy. "Yes, James. Explain to Lily what you meant."

"Come on, Lils. I was just fooling around." James pleaded as he continued backing away from the advancing redhead whose wand was now trained directly on his person.

James looked around frantically for an escape before his eyes fell onto his werewolf friend. "Moony! Help me out here." He cried pitifully to the laughing boy.

"BANG!"

The girls erupting into peals of laughter as James landed flat on his back a few feet from where he was standing. Groaning as he slowly righted himself into a sitting position, James delicately held his head in one hand.

"Bloody hell." He groaned loudly. "I think I just got run over by the Knight Bus."

The group, boys included, broke into an even louder fit of giggles as James struggled to get back on his feet.

"What?"

Remus collected himself before being able to respond. "You might want to go check yourself out, Prongs." He said as he gestured to a full-length mirror in the corner before snorting again in an ill-attempt at smothering his mirth.

James immediately took off towards the mirror, hoping the physical damage wasn't that bad.

The high pitched squeal sent the group into even more laughter as James took in the damage that Lily's spell had caused.

"My head! My hair! What have you done?" He screamed shrilly.

"I think she replaced your hair with flowers, Prongs." Sirius barked.

"Not just any flowers." Mary gasped. "Little pink pansies!"

James' mouth hung open, for once, at a complete loss for words.

"Please!" Olivia gasped from her perch beside Remus on the couch. "No more! No more! I just can't take it! You're going to kill me!" She said as she placed her head on Remus' shoulder and tried to catch her breath.

Remus looked down at the brown haired witch currently propped against him with a grin. Not thinking twice about it, he lifted his arm and, carefully avoiding her sore shoulder, wrapped his arm gently around her as she continued smiling at their friends' antics. Remus watched as she laughed again as James tried pulling the flowers out of his scalp to no avail before unconsciously snuggling deeper into the crook of his arm. Not wanting to get caught looking like a creepy stalker, Remus turned his attention back to the spectacle in front of them.

James whipped around and stared at Lily incredulously. She folded her arms across herself and shot James a malevolent smile. "You know what I'm going to call you now?" She asked as she began making her way towards the portrait hole for dinner, stopping just for a moment to turn around and face the still shocked Marauder.

James shook his head quickly, the little pink flowers swaying with the sudden movement.

"My little pansy-boy!" She yelled gleefully before ducking through the portrait hole as laughter erupted throughout the Common Room.

* * *

><p>Saturday morning arrived with a flurry of excitement. Olivia walked into the Common Room early and saw most of the 6th years were already up and having a last minute cram session for the tournament. Chairs, tables, and the couches had all been levitated to the edges of the room to allow more space for the current mock duels that were taking place.<p>

Olivia glanced around at the scene before her. The majority of the younger years were perched along the far sides of the room cheering on their favorites enthusiastically. She glanced around the room until she spotted her friends in the far corner near the large windows overlooking the Black Lake. She walked right up to the group, making sure to keep one eye on the dueling James and Sirius. One never knew what catastrophe could occur with those two hurling spells.

"Whose brilliant idea was THIS?" she asked as she gestured to the two rambunctious boys and the very large, very breakable windows.

"There wasn't anywhere else to practice in here." Lily said with a smile. "And we didn't want to go to the Room of Requirement without you, sleepyhead."

Olivia bumped her best friend's shoulder with a smile before wincing as Sirius threw a spell that missed the window by mere inches.

"This is just a detention waiting to happen..." Olivia murmured.

"Detention? Pssshh." James scoffed.

"Prongsie's right, Liv!" Sirius shouted, never pausing as he hurled spell after spell at James. "Exams are over and we leave tomorrow! What's ol' Minnie going to do?" He finished gleefully.

"Besides murder you both if she ever catches you two calling her that?" Lily laughed.

A gasp of panic was simultaneously heard as Sirius barely avoided being hurled out of the window rather violently. Olivia winced at the near accident.

"Whatever, you two." She said, shaking her head. "Nothing starts a Saturday off like falling fifty stories to your death. I'm off to breakfast."

Lily and Remus burst into laughter as Sirius and James managed to suspend the duel just long enough to look indignant.

"I'll come with you, Liv." Remus said, stilling grinning widely. "I'm starved."

"Me too." Lily added as she pranced over to Olivia's side. "You two coming?" She asked the two other boys.

The pair looked at each other silently before turning back and nodding in the affirmative. The group began making their way down the corridor with the girls chatting happily when James turned to Olivia.

"For the record, we wouldn't have died if we had fallen out of the window, you know." He said in a mock-snooty drawl.

"Well, it is bloody well likely..." Remus argued with a grin.

"Not necessarily." James continued.

Olivia laughed lightly. "Oh, I'm dying to hear this."

"No, we could've used Augusto Momento" He said with a triumphant smirk.

"Augusto Momento?" Olivia asked, looking questioningly at Remus, a puzzled look gracing her delicate features. Remus shrugged his shoulders. Lily, on the other hand, giggled loudly.

"Augusto Momento?" She choked out with laughter. "Don't you mean Aresto Momentum?"

Olivia and Remus joined in on the redhead's amusement as they connected the mispronounced phrase to what it was actually supposed to be. James shot a look towards Sirius who shrugged his shoulders confusedly.

"Are you sure?"

Olivia walked over to the boy and slung her good arm over his shoulders genially. "I'll tell you what, Jamesie. We'll just give it a go, shall we? I'll fling you out this window here and you can try the spell your way. If you don't die a horrible and painful death, I'll make Lils admit she was wrong."

James seemed to be thinking it over a few moments as he looked out the window at the enormous drop before turning back to the group.

"Well...Maybe we'll just concede that Lily is right this time..." He said tentatively.

Remus and Sirius burst into boisterous laughter as Lily slung her arm around James.

"There may be hope for you yet, James."

* * *

><p><strong><em>Put a big :) on my face by leaving me a review. <em>**


	16. Winners, Losers, and Minnie's Undies

**_A/N:_**

**_KamiaKeller- I, too, am a massive fan of possessive Remus, so I like to write situations that force him to be. :) Thanks so much for the review! P.S.- I wrote this huge chapter with your review in mind. :)_**

**_sonotsigningin- I think everyone is ready for him to make a move, but he's got to get past his own demons before he can start sweet talkin' Liv. :D Thanks for the review!_**

**_AikoRose- Sirius is a giant moron, but everyone loves him anyways. :D Maybe Remus knocked some sense into him, though. Almost getting multiple murdered by a giant werewolf does tend to put a strain on friendships, so it's a tough road ahead. Thanks so much for the review!_**

**_Jofrench22- I'm so glad you enjoyed it! I think everyone is ready for them to get together, but no worries, it won't be too much longer. :) Thanks for the great review!_**

**_FoxyAlterEgos- I'm sure Sirius won't get hurt too badly. :) Thanks for the review!_**

**_Sweet Petit- I'm glad you liked it! Thanks for reviewing!_**

**_Here we go with the next chapter! Thanks to all of my readers!_**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 16: Winners, Losers, and Minnie's Undies<strong>

The Great Hall was a flurry of excitement as the group made their way to the Gryffindor table. Olivia took a seat in between Lily and Margaret as the boys took the seats across the table.

"Are you lot ready for the tournament?" Alice asked excitedly.

"We were born ready, Prewitt." Sirius answered with an air of cockiness.

"And don't you guys forget." James began. "Loser of the bet has to perform their duties tonight." He finished with an evil smirk.

Alice's head snapped back towards James, her eyes dancing with excitement. "Bet? What bet? There's a bet?"

Lily laughed at the small girl's enthusiasm. "For Merlin's sake, chew your food first, Alice!"

Taking a moment to swallow the large portion of sausage in her mouth, Alice pinned down Sirius and James with a glare.

"I want in."

James pulled a mock snooty face as he turned towards Alice. "Why should we let you in on this?"

"Oh, here we go." Frank sighed with a smile and a roll of his eyes. "Good luck, James."

Olivia watched in complete fascination as the tiny girl flew into a tirade at the handsome Marauder, occasionally including Sirius in on it. As the pixie began describing what hexes she was planning to use on their more...sensitive...parts of anatomy, the boys conceded defeat.

"Alright, alright! We'll let you in on the bet! Just leave our man parts out of it!"

"That's what I thought." Alice said smugly. "What would the wizarding world come to if there were no future generations of Marauders here at Hogwarts?" She asked as she spun her wand between her fingers thoughtfully.

"Liv!" Sirius shouted while cowering behind James. "She's going to hex our little soldiers off! Make her stop! Make her stop!" He whined pathetically.

"What do you want me to do?" She asked sweetly as she continued eating her eggs. "Just let her in on the bet."

"It would probably make it more fun anyways," Lily added as she poured more pumpkin juice into her goblet. "...having more people, that is."

"Alright, here's the gist." James began, looking around the table at the group. "Everyone chooses who they believe will win the tournament. If your chosen person wins, you are free from the bet conditions and will be able to sit back and watch the festivities unfold tonight. But, if your chosen person loses, you will be subjected to the terms and conditions laid down by the bet."

"No exceptions or back outs!" Sirius added.

"So, what do the losers have to do?" Frank asked, starting to look excited.

Sirius grinned evilly. "The winner or winners will assign each loser a faculty member."

"It can be anyone." James interrupted. "Someone as important as Dumbledore..."

"...or as worthless as Filch."

"Sirius!" Lily and Olivia scolded. The boy managed to pull a slightly remorseful face.

"And then what?" Mary asked, ignoring the interruption.

"Tonight, after curfew, the losers must sneak into their assigned faculty member's private quarters and retrieve a pair of their knickers to bring back to the Common Room."

"Excellent!" Frank and Alice said at once.

Mary seemed to be contemplating, while Peter had turned a rather interesting shade of green.

"Aww, don't be lame, you two." Sirius said. "Just do it with us."

"Nothing like a little peer pressure to help make decisions." Margaret added wryly. Remus snorted into his juice.

"No, no, no." Mary began thoughtfully. "I was just thinking. We should make up a set task that must be completed in the event a person fails or chickens out of the bet."

"Yeah! Something that's worse than the thought of sneaking into the staff's quarters!" Lily exclaimed.

"But what could be worse than that?" Frank asked.

"Planting a big ol' kiss right on Minnie!" Sirius suggested.

"Something you don't want to do, Padfoot." Remus smiled. James and Frank wore identical looks of horror.

Sirius shot the werewolf a glare. "Bloody prat." He mumbled.

"Display your own underthings at breakfast in the morning?" Alice suggested.

"Steal Mrs. Norris?"

"Sneak into the Slytherin Common Room?"

"Shave Mrs. Norris?"

"Shave Malfoy?"

"Ewww!"

"Set the Slytherin Common Room on fire?"

"Steal a faculty member's familiar?"

"Set the Forbidden Forest on fire?"

"Charm the faculty's robes pink?"

"Set Mrs. Norris on fire!"

"I'm not sure that Sirius is being helpful anymore." Olivia murmured to Lily.

"It's been awhile since Sirius has been helpful."

"Hey!" Sirius asked, outraged.

Lily smiled sweetly at him. "No offense, of course."

"I'm not sure I believe that..."

"I've got it!" Alice interrupted. "What about...streaking?"

"Whaaaaat?" Mary asked.

"Failures and/or chickens have to streak through the Great Hall at breakfast in the morning."

"Like, completely naked?" Lily asked.

"Bits and all?" Sirius added.

Alice seemed to contemplate for a minute. "Weeeeeell, maybe we can streak in just our underthings?" She asked as she shot a look at Frank.

"I believe that would be acceptable." Frank said tentatively. "Remus?"

"Fine by me. I, personally, don't plan on allowing it to reach that point anyways."

"Alright, so agreed?" James asked.

A chorus of answers sounded around him. "Agreed!"

"Now that that's settled, on to the interesting part." James smiled as he rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "Votes must be cast!"

Sirius pounded his fist on the table as he seconded James' decision. "Here, here!"

"When your name is called, cast your vote for the winner. Lils, can you write this down?" James asked.

Lily looked affronted. "Why can't you?"

"Your handwriting is just so much prettier than mine."

That seemed to soften the redhead up a bit. "Alright then. Start the voting."

"Sirius?"

"I vote for me, of course."

"Mary?"

"I vote for...umm...James."

"Peter?"

"S-Sirius."

"Lily?"

"I vote James."

"Alice?"

"I vote for Frank, of course. He'll wipe the floor with you lot for sure."

Frank shot a grateful smile at the small girl.

"Frank?"

"Well, I can't have Alice be the only one that votes for me, now can I?"

"Olivia?"

"Remus." She stated firmly, making Remus smile at her appreciatively

"Margaret?"

"Err..." She stuttered, looking between James and Sirius and back again. "I vote for...James."

"Margaret!" Sirius objected.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" She shouted. "I just think he's more level headed!"

"Remus?"

The sandy haired boy hesitated, seeming to consider his words before speaking. Looking over to Olivia, she gave him a smile and a shrug.

"Just vote for yourself. You and I know you are going to win." She finished with a broad smile.

Remus smiled in response to her words. "I vote for me."

"Alright, and I will be voting for myself, obviously." James finished. "So there we have it! The votes have been cast, and are now locked in."

"Place your hands in the middle to seal the deal!" Sirius yelled. Everyone squeezed in and began placing their hands in the middle, one on top of another. Sirius placed his hand on top of everyone's as he looked into each of their faces, smiling broadly. "And now, may the best witch or wizard WIN!"

* * *

><p>After breakfast, the students were given an hour before reporting back in order for Slughorn and Flitwick to set the Great Hall up for the tourney. The rambunctious group of Gryffindors spent their hour down by the lake going over last minute tips and tricks. When it was finally time to head back into the castle, Olivia walked into the Great Hall with her friends and paused. The long House tables that normally occupied the room had been removed and in their place was a single, long, wooden stage. On the edges of the room were a scattering of chairs for students who were waiting their turn to duel. Olivia continued her way towards the stage to join her friends.<p>

"I'm so excited!" Alice squealed.

Lily laughed at the short girl. "Obviously."

"I wonder how they will choose partners for the first round?" Olivia asked no one in particular

"No idea." Sirius said. "I just hope I get a Slytherin."

James nodded his head furiously in agreement.

"Settle down, settle down!" Slughorn called from the stage. The tiny Flitwick was barely visible even on the large stage. "Now, you've already been taught the etiquette of duels during class, and it is to be known that you will be practicing those formalities during the duels today."

Sirius and James snorted in amusement.

"Furthermore, there is to be no dark spells used under any circumstance." Slughorn finished. "Professor Flitwick will now go over any other rules I might have forgotten to mention."

"Why do they always wait until the end to go over rules?" James grumbled.

"I think they do it just to make you mad, Prongs." Olivia joked as she nudged James' shoulder with her good one.

"You know, I heard that Flitwick used to be a dueling champion." Remus said.

Margaret snorted. "Key phrase there is 'used to be'"

"Yeah," James snorted. "That rumor probably originated in Ravenclaw Tower."

Suddenly, Slughorn and Flitwick began calling up students to begin the tournament.

Lily turned to the group with a frown. "You lot made me miss the rules because of all your chatter."

"Rules, shmules." Sirius shrugged. "You just have to win."

"Not the best advice..." Mary smiled.

"It's the basics." Alice said to Lily. "No dark curses, no life-threatening spells, and no unforgivables."

"So, basically, don't kill anyone." Remus said while shooting a pointed look towards Sirius.

Frank was the first of the group to be called. He won his duel with no trouble at all, as did Remus, James, and Sirius, the latter two getting their wish to duel with a Slytherin.

"I wish I could've had someone like Dolohov or Malfoy." Sirius whined as he joined the group back in front of the stage. "It's no fun if I beat them in less than 30 seconds."

Mary was the next one called, and had, unfortunately, been paired with Gabriel.

"Stupid git." Sirius muttered.

It only took the handsome 7th year a few minutes before he had hurled a succession of curses at Mary, the last stunner sliding by her shield and ending the duel abruptly.

"Well, I don't know if he's a stupid git, but I know he is a hell of a dueler." Margaret said.

"And handsome to boot!" Lily added as she and Olivia giggled together.

Remus and James frowned at the giggling girls.

Next up was Alice, who defeated a sixth year Hufflepuff. Afterwards, Peter was taken down quickly, but that was really no surprise to his friends. Lily was able to take down her opponent prettily easily, but that could have been due to the fact that the Hufflepuff she was facing barely knew which end of his wand to hold.

Olivia smirked as she saw that Severus was paired with Lucius. She knew that Severus was one of the best duelers here, and much better than Malfoy. She watched in complete ease as Lucius hurled curse after curse while Severus elegantly sidestepped and blocked each of the attacks. Olivia's smile grew at the sight. It didn't even appear like Severus was trying at all. Meanwhile, Lucius was pouring buckets of sweat down at the other end of the stage. She was hoping that Severus would stop playing with his food and finish this duel when, all of a sudden, he dropped all of his shields.

_What the...?_

Lucius took the opportunity to send a stunner at Severus. Olivia watched the red bolt of light travel down the stage and hit Severus directly in the chest, crumpling him instantly. A smattering of applause could be heard throughout the crowd as Flitwick scurried over to revive the dark-haired boy.

Peter gave a shrill laugh as he nudged the other Marauders playfully. "Look, P-Prongs! Ol' Snivellus c-can't even get by the f-f-first round!"

Peter squeaked in fear at the barrage of glares he got for his comment, the most adamant coming from, surprisingly, the Marauders themselves. The chubby boy turned to look at Mary, who just gave him a small shake of her head, sadly.

Olivia, on the other hand, was hardly paying the Marauder any attention. She was still replaying the events of Severus and Lucius' duel over in her mind. She just couldn't seem to figure out what had happened to cause Severus to lose...unless...

_He threw the duel! Severus threw the duel!_

That was the only thing she reasoned could have happened.

_But why would Severus let Lucius win?_

She didn't know the answer, but she had every intention of finding out.

* * *

><p>The tournament trudged on throughout the day as Olivia continued watching her friends perform. There were six total rounds that one had to go through before reaching the final duel, with each round facing a more difficult opponent. Lily had been eliminated by a Ravenclaw boy in the third round while Margaret had similarly been defeated in the third round by a Slytherin. Alice, surprisingly, had made it to the fourth round before losing a long, evenly matched duel when a seventh year fellow Gryffindor had luckily slipped a Petrificus Totalus through her defenses.<p>

Frank had made it to the fifth round before getting beat by, none other than, Gabriel. Sirius and James had hounded him incessantly for that one. Olivia had to admit, though, Gabriel was a magnificent dueler...brilliant, even. Not that she would ever admit that out loud in front of the boys.

James and Sirius' exit from the tournament was a rather amusing spectacle. They had been forced to face each other in the fifth round, and being so evenly matched, the duel had lasted for quite some time. Olivia was sure that Flitwick was going to call a draw when both boys suddenly shot identical jets of light towards the other, each hitting its mark and blasting each boy off the ends of the stage.

"Alright everyone! Simmer down, Simmer down!" Slughorn said over the voices of the crowd. "We are now down to our last duel to determine the winner of the tournament."

"You got this is the bag, Moony!" Sirius cheered.

"The final duel will between Remus Lupin and Gabriel Fairburn."

Everyone watched as Remus hoisted himself up onto the stage effortlessly on one end as Gabriel strode up the ramp with an air of arrogance surrounding him.

"Bloody prat." James mumbled.

"Wipe the floor with him, Moony!" Sirius yelled, using Frank's shoulders as leverage.

Remus and Gabriel walked to their positions opposite of each other and took the "ready" position, but not before Gabriel shot a wink at Olivia on the front row. The girls immediately erupted into giggles while Olivia could feel her face heat in complete embarrassment.

"Oh, I know that git didn't just do that." James growled.

"Tear that arsehole apart, Moony!" Sirius bellowed angrily.

"Mr. Black!"

"Sorry, professor."

"Five gallons Fairburn destroys him." A Ravenclaw boy murmured to Frank. Frank looked towards Gabriel, then to Remus before turning back to the boy with a smile. "Easy money. I'll take that bet."

Olivia looked down the stage at Remus, who seemed to be glaring daggers at the handsome seventh year Gryffindor. Flitwick gestured for the opponents to begin, and the duel was on. In mere seconds, spells were bouncing all over the room.

"Finite" Remus murmured, effectively freeing his tied legs. Rolling out of the way immediately, he was able to dodge the spell that Gabriel had hurled at him.

"Stupefy!" Remus shouted, sending a jet of red light towards Gabriel, who dodged it easily.

"Rictumsempra!"

Petrificus Totalus!"

"Stupefy!"

"Protego!" Remus shouted, just barely getting his shield up in time.

"They're matched prettily evenly." James muttered to the group while never taking his eyes off the dueling pair. Each of them had been knocked down several times but refused to stay down long enough for the other to finish the duel.

"Let's go Remus!" Olivia shouted.

"Incendio!"

Olivia watched in horror as a wall of flames erupted from Gabriel's wand and hurled towards Remus.

"Augmenti!"

"Expelliarmus!"

The group groaned as they watched Remus' wand fly from his hand into the air towards Gabriel.

"No!" Sirius groaned. "Don't let him win!"

Lily and Alice closed their eyes, waiting for Remus' imminent demise, while Olivia watched on sadly.

Remus, on the other hand, kept a passive face as he held out his bare hand.

"Accio wand!"

To the astonishment of the majority of the room, Remus' wand flew from Gabriel's hand back into the air towards Remus. A second later, it was back safely in its owner's hand.

Stunned by the sudden shift of power, Gabriel hesitated in his next attack.

"Stupefy!" Remus cried. Everyone watched in wonder as the red jet of light traveled down the stage and hit the blond haired boy square in the chest.

Cheers erupted throughout the crowd, the most wildly erratic being from Olivia's group on the front row. Remus smiled at his friends' enthusiasm. Flitwick scurried onto the stage, grabbing Remus' hand and declaring him the tournament winner. Meanwhile, Slughorn waddled down to tend to the still unconscious Gabriel. Remus smiled politely until Flitwick dismissed everyone to their own devices.

James and Sirius immediately engulfed him in man hugs, chanting "Moony's #1! Moony's #1!" as Frank patted his back happily before eyeing the Ravenclaw boy try to slip away unnoticed.

"Oi! You! Get back here! You owe me five galleons!"

"Congrats Rem!" Olivia shouted as she attempted to muscle her way between the boys. "Looks like you're the big winner!" She smiled.

Remus swept the petite girl into his arms with a laugh. "Thanks, Liv! And we are the big winners. After all, we are going to be the ones sitting back enjoying the festivities tonight while everyone else makes utter fools of themselves."

"You've got that right!"

Ecstatic about their victory, the group decided to extend the celebration by moving the party into the boys' dorm. The four Marauders, plus Frank, the unofficial fifth Marauder, made a pitstop by the kitchens to knick a few butterbeers. The celebration lasted for a few hours more as the group recounted the highlights of the tournament in vivid detail again and again.

James hopped up on his bunk, jostling Lily who had been using it as a seat. "Alright, gang. We meet in the Common Room at midnight. Deal?"

A chorus of voices answered him. "Deal!"

* * *

><p>The boys were already waiting for the girls as they quietly tip-toed down the stairs from the dorms.<p>

"The girls are here!"

"Aww, hello Milo!" James cooed at the fur ball scampering at Olivia's heels. "Are you going to be getting into some mischief with us tonight?"

"Enough of this small talk. Let's do this!" Sirius exclaimed in an excited whisper. "To the Room of Requirement!"

The group scurried out of the portrait hole down the corridors in what they would like to think was a "quiet jog" while James kept a lookout for Filch on the map. Finally, the group made it to the Room of Requirement to see it set up with multiple couches draped with fuzzy blankets and fluffy pillows. A fire was roaring in the large fireplace over on the side wall. The group of friends dove onto the couches laughing, excitement filling the air in light of the events to come. Remus and Olivia took their place standing in front of the sitting friends.

"Alright, you lot." Remus started. "Because Liv and I are the winners of the bet, we have decided your faculty assignments for tonight."

The group stared back at him with equal parts excitement and nervousness.

"Peter, you will be heading to Hagrid's house."

The chubby boy appeared to go a couple of shades whiter at his assignment.

"Mary, you have Professor Sprout. Watch out for those weird plants she keeps around."

Mary answered with a quick smile and a determined nod.

"Alice, you will be in charge of Flitwick's undies."

The girl gave two enthusiastic thumbs up with a beaming smile.

"Frank, you have been assigned Filch."

"Try not to catch any airborne illnesses while in his quarters." Sirius snickered.

Remus and Frank gave a shudder simultaneously.

"Ewww."

"Lily, since you are obviously his favorite, you will be retrieving Slughorn's intimates." Olivia assigned with a laugh.

Lily managed to pull a disgusted face before nodding slightly.

"Margaret, you will be collecting Pomfrey's garments. Try not to wake any patients in the process, ok?"

"Got it." She said nonchalantly.

"James, you arrogant teddy bear you, you will be infiltrating Dumbeldore's quarters tonight...Good luck."

James flexed his muscles in a show of "manliness" as Olivia and Remus rolled their eyes.

"And Sirius...You, my dear boy, will have the most difficult task of them all." Remus began ominously. "You will be stealing underthings from the lion den."

Sirius gave a fist pump enthusiastically. "Yes! Minnie's knickers are MINE!"

Olivia furrowed her brow in thought before turning to Remus. "We need a time limit so this thing doesn't get completely out of control."

As soon as Olivia had mentioned it, a large ornate clock appeared above the fireplace.

"Well, that was convenient." Sirius snickered.

"Ok, it is now right at 12:30 a.m., so you each will have to be back in the room by, let's say, 1:15? That gives you each 45 minutes to obtain your assigned garments and get yourselves back here."

"Sounds good to me." Margaret answered as the rest of the group nodded in agreement.

"Well, now that that's settled, let's line up for the start of the games." Remus instructed as everyone shuffled into the corridor outside the Room of Requirement. "Liv, will you do the honors please?"

Olivia smiled gratefully before walking in front of their lined up friends with a single hand held over her head.

"Alright. On your mark, get set, GO!" She shouted as she swung her hand down.

The three boys, minus Peter, were off like a shot, with Frank leading the way as Sirius and James shoved each other roughly as they sprinted down the corridor. The girls and Peter, on the other hand, began quietly jogging down the corridor until disappearing around the corner.

Remus turned to Olivia with a smile. "So what would you like to do now?"

Olivia gave him a shrug. "I don't know. What are you feeling?"

"What about a game of chess?"

"Umm...I'm not actually 100% sure how to play chess." Olivia smiled sheepishly. "I understand the gist, just not specifics."

"No problem." Remus said. "I can teach you the basics since we have some time on our hands."

"Sounds good." Olivia agreed. "Come along, Milo."

The kneazle abandoned his current attempts at climbing a tapestry hung on the corridor walls and scampered over to his mistress happily.

With their decision made, the pair walked back into the Room of Requirement and set up the board near the fire. Remus began patiently explaining each piece's allowed movements and the proper way to command each piece. Olivia found herself getting rather bogged down with all of the different rules.

"Ugh. Information overload!" She cried as she waved her good arm to stop Remus' monologue.

Remus laughed at the girl sitting in front of him. "Yes, it is rather hard to catch onto at first. Maybe we should just play through and see how it goes?"

"Finally!" Olivia said in exaggerated relief, earning another chuckle from Remus.

The pair played through the entire match rather slowly, with Remus helping Olivia every step of the way.

"I'm rather bad at this, aren't I?" Olivia asked with a smirk.

"No, no, no. You just need a bit more practice, that's all."

"Remus." Olivia said with a smiling glare. "You trounced me."

"Well, I've had more practice than you."

"You're just being polite. Anyways, how much time do they have left?"

Remus squinted his eyes up at the clock above the mantle. "They have about 7 minutes left."

"How do you think they are doing?"

* * *

><p>"James, Sirius! Cut it out! We've got to get out of here!" Lily whispered harshly.<p>

"Just a second, Lils. We might as well take advantage of ol' Sluggy's private stores as long as we're here!"

Lily rolled her eyes in frustration. The two boys had shown up at her side as she was shimmying out of Slughorn's bedchambers, apparently done with their own tasks. Now, they had decided that since the group had a few extra minutes, they might as well take advantage of the situation and knick a few things from Slughorn's private potion stores. They were currently both trying to work their way through the extensive wards that the old professor had put in place.

"What could you possibly be looking to knick?" Lily asked, her voice becoming more shrill the longer her nerves were being strained.

"Shh...Lils. We don't want to wake him up!"

James snorted. "Like we could wake him up. You can hear the ol' walrus' snoring from out here!"

"Jackpot!" Sirius whispered as the storage door swung open with a creak. "Look at all the potions!"

Lily turned her head as she heard a pause in Slughorn's snores. Turning back to the two boys, she began crowding them.

"Hurry up! I think he's waking up!" She panicked.

James and Sirius lunged into the storage closet, barely having time to read the phials before shoving countless into their pockets. Lily yanked them out of the closet, shoving them towards the door before gently closing the storage door and quickly putting the wards back into place. The three students scurried as quietly as they could to classroom door and barreled out into the hallway.

"Phew! That was close!" Sirius exclaimed as he tried to catch his breath.

"How much time do we have left?"

Lily looked down at her watch. "THREE MINUTES!"

"Let's go!" James yelled as he grabbed Lily's hand and began tearing down the corridor.

* * *

><p>The rest of the group waited for the missing three as they watched the clock tick down slowly.<p>

"Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two..."

"WE'RE HERE!" James shouted as he, Lily, and Sirius burst through the Room of Requirement door.

"Aww, poo." Olivia sighed. "I really wanted to see some streaking at breakfast in the morning."

"Alright, everyone line up so we can begin the presentation." Remus called.

The group lined up in a straight line in front of the fire and waited for their turn to be inspected. Remus and Olivia walked up to Alice as everyone watched in anticipation.

"Alice, you were assigned Flitwick. What have you brought us?"

"Ahem hem. May I present to you...boxer briefs!"

A chorus of laughter rang through the crowd at the thought of the tiny wizard wearing the pair of black boxer briefs currently laid on the floor in front of the group.

"Margaret?"

"Granny panties!" The girl cried as she whipped out a white pair of knickers edged with delicate lace. "And I only woke one patient, but I high-tailed it out of there before they saw my face." She reported proudly.

"Frank?" Olivia called before doing a double take at the boy. "Dear, Merlin, what happened to your clothes?"

"Got into a little disagreement with a Fanged Flyer." He explained as he gestured to his ripped and tattered clothing and ruffled hair.

"All of that because of a Fanged Flyer?" Alice asked in confusion.

"Well, this one had apparently been charmed to be triple the size of a normal one."

Sirius turned to James. "So that's where that is."

Lily gave James a whack in the back of the head as Olivia did the same to Sirius.

"Idiots." Lily murmured, shaking her head.

"Let's get back on track then, shall we?" Remus laughed. "Did you get them Frank?"

At that time, Frank grabbed his wand and levitated a pair of old tighty whities out of his jacket pocket onto the floor on top of the other pairs that had already been presented.

"Mission accomplished." Frank said with a smile.

"Ewwwww." Sirius groaned as he looked at the old caretaker's underthings.

Lily frowned. "Don't be a prat, Sirius."

"Well, I wouldn't have to be a prat if he wouldn't be so damn hateful to us!" Sirius tried to defend.

"He's only mean because you Marauders are always messing things up around the school." Olivia retorted.

"Oh, ok." Sirius challenged. "What about last week when he told James and me that we were both a waste of space and magic?"

"What?" Mary shouted?

"Wait a minute." Olivia said as she held a hand up to Mary. "What did you two do to him first?" She asked as she eyed the two boys.

"Weeell..." Sirius began.

James looked to his friend before turning back to the girls, "I mean, we didn't really...do...anything."

"That's what I thought." Olivia smiled smugly.

"Moving on."

"Peter?"

Peter proudly held up a ridiculously massive pair of boxers before tossing them onto the growing pile.

"Woo hoo! Way to go Pete!" James and Sirius shouted as they slapped the short boy's back.

"T-Thanks guys."

Olivia turned to Mary. "Mary?"

Mary held up a pair of white cotton panties with pale pink flowers littered all about them. "Easy peasy." She smiled.

"Surprise, surprise." Margaret said sarcastically as she eyed the tiny flowers. "Sprout has plants on her knickers."

"Aww, I think it's kind of sweet." Alice objected.

"Lily?"

Lily looked as though she was about to burst. "You guys are going to die."

She reached into her pocket, and out came a pair of Slytherin green undies. Everyone took a moment to try and catch on to what the redhead was insinuating when Frank jumped back in horror.

"Are those BIKINI CUT?" He bellowed in disgust.

The room erupted into groans and gags as everyone was immediately assaulted by images of Slughorn in his racy intimates.

"Well, he always has thought he was irresistibly sexy." Sirius snickered.

"Agggh!" Mary cried. "Next! Next!"

"Alright, James?" Remus laughed.

"No problem at all." James bragged as he whipped out a pair of rainbow boxers. "And they are SO Dumbledore."

"Merlin! It looks like a rainbow vomited all over 'em!" Margaret exclaimed.

The group laughed merrily before Remus turned to Sirius.

"And last, but not least, Sirius. Did you make it out of the lion's den successfully?"

"Hey! You're talking to Sirius Black, here. Have I ever failed?"

A groan sounded throughout the group as Sirius pulled out a pair of vibrant red and gold panties, complete with a roaring lion's head smack dab on the front center.

"She really is a Gryffindor through and through, isn't she?" Alice said.

"Is it just me, or is that lion rather awkward?" Lily said tentatively.

Olivia laughed. "I don't know if it's the lion or the placement of the lion."

"Ahhh!" Frank said embarrassedly. "I've heard enough about this. I'm heading back to the Common Room."

"Yeah," Mary said. "It's already almost two."

Olivia watched as Sirius ran forward and quickly put the staff's garments into a bag he had conjured before following the group out into the corridor and towards the Gryffindor common room.

Olivia followed quietly beside Lily with Milo trotting behind them as they watched James checking the map periodically for teachers or Filch.

"You know, we have been out of bed after curfew for almost two hours, and not a thing has even gone close to wrong yet." Lily murmured to Olivia.

Just then, James gasped as he turned a corner and saw the two large, red eyes that were peering up at them.

"Mrowr."

"Mrs. Norris!"

"MILO! SIC 'EM!" Sirius bellowed as he pointed at Filch's cat.

Milo merely looked up at the shouting boy lazily and gave a large yawn.

The group paused for only a moment before tearing off at breakneck speeds towards the common room.

"Nice going, Lils." Olivia laughed sarcastically as they sprinted onward.

"I guess I spoke too soon." Lily panted back at her friend.

"You need to train that bloody cat, Liv!" Sirius shouted behind him at the girls.

"He's a kneazle, not a bloody tiger!"

Laughter filled the corridors of Hogwarts in their wake.

* * *

><p>The next morning after breakfast, Olivia was walking past Dumbledore's office back to the dorm to collect her belongings. She was startled when the gargoyle jumped out of the way to reveal, none other than, Severus.<p>

"Severus!" Olivia yelled gleefully as she ran to him, wrapping him in a tight hug.

"Hello, Liv." He said quietly with a small smirk.

"I haven't seen you in forever! Did you have a good term? I miss you terribly, you know." She babbled on and on to the apparent amusement of Severus who looked on at her patiently. He knew the girl was prone to incessant bouts of chatter when excited.

"Wait a minute..." She stopped. "Why were you in Dumbledore's office? You're not in trouble are you? She asked worriedly.

"No, no. Nothing like that."

Olivia scrunched her eyes as she studied the dark boy's face. He was the picture of calm, but she saw a storm of emotion raging in his eyes.

"What's going on, Severus?"

"Nothing, Liv."

"You're not telling me something..." She said suspiciously.

Severus remained silent.

Olivia began to panic. "What's going on?"

Severus merely turned his head away from her.

"Why are you hiding from me?" She asked sadly.

Severus couldn't take it anymore as he watched his oldest friend's eyes fill with unshed tears. Sighing audibly, he rubbed his face tiredly before gently pulling her into an empty classroom.

"Listen, some things are just about to happen that I honestly can't tell you right now." He explained in a hushed voice.

"What kind of things?"

"Bad things." Severus said firmly. "Times are changing Liv, and our parents' war is about to become our own. It's almost time for us to make our choice about on which side we want to be."

Olivia's eyes widened in realization. "This is about him, isn't it? You-Know-Who."

Severus nodded solemnly.

"Oh, Sev...I don't like this." Olivia said, shaking her head nervously.

"Listen, Liv." Severus grabbed her shoulders and made eye contact with her. "All I'm asking is that you trust me..."

"Of course I wi.."

"No, listen." Severus interrupted firmly. "It's going to get much worse before this thing is over. I'm asking for you to trust me. There will come a time when nothing will make sense and you won't know what to believe. When that time comes, no matter how confused you may feel, think back on this time...and trust me."

Olivia stood silently staring at her friend.

"Everyone has someone they are fighting for in this war." Severus said before pulling her to him. "I'm no exception to this rule. So promise me that you will still trust me even after all of this is over." Severus pleaded.

Olivia took a few moments to think through everything that Severus had told her.

"I will." Olivia promised, hugging the dark boy fiercely. Somehow, she knew that things were going to be different from now on. Placing a chaste kiss on his cheek, she murmured into his hair.

"Always."

* * *

><p><strong><em>Review? :)<em>**


	17. Letters

**_Chapter 17: _**_Letters_****

June 27

Lily,

I'm sorry that your summer hasn't started off well. One would think that Petunia would be over the fact that you are a witch by now. You should have told her that your parents wouldn't favor you so obviously if she would stop acting like a complete bint. (Kidding!...But seriously.)

Anyways, what would you say if I told you that you could escape Petunia's wrath for two blissful weeks? Interested? I thought so. Mum and Dad just gave the go-ahead to officially invite you to come spend two glorious weeks with us on the annual Hansen family Grecian vacation. We are leaving on the 9th, so get permission ASAP.

Lots of Love,

Olivia

* * *

><p>July 12<p>

Moony,

Prongs here. AND SIRIUS! How's your summer going? OURS HAS BEEN BLOODY BORING THUS FAR. With that being said, it's time to start plotting for our Hogwarts finale. We can't stand it anymore. We have to liven up this summer. HERE, HERE! After all, this is the last real summer we'll ever have. Well, at least the last one as Hogwarts students...The point is we need to have some fun, therefore, you need to get your wolfy arse over here immediately. WHAT HE'S TRYING TO SAY IS THAT LILY IS ON VACATION WITH OLIVIA AND YOU'RE NEXT ON HIS LIST TO PESTER.

Padfoot is currently unavailable, but he send his regards. Get over here!

-Prongs

* * *

><p>July 25<p>

Margaret,

Yes, Yes, I know I haven't written in a few weeks. So sue me. In my defense, I have been super busy. Doing what, you ask? Oh, nothing much. Just meeting FRANK'S MUM! (Insert girly squeal here.) I'll tell you more details when I see you, but let's just say that Augusta Longbottom scars the absolute shite out of me. Frank has been trying to convince me ever since that she adores me, but I'm not sure that woman is capable of adoring anything.

In other news, have you heard from James or Sirius? Lily wrote a few days ago after getting back from vacation with Liv and said that James had mentioned having a huge end of summer party. Write Sirius and see if there's any substance to it.

Love,

Alice

* * *

><p>July 27<p>

Remus,

We had a blast on the trip! Thanks so much for the satchel you sent us. The undetectable extension charm really came in handy when we were exploring the city. Liv has your souvenir with her, and she said that she'd be sending it to you soon. I still can't believe all the sights were able to see. I almost wish we didn't have to come home. Liv had a lot of fun as well, but as often as she spoke of you, she was apparently missing home a bit more than myself.

Have you talked to James recently? I was just curious because he had been sending me letters almost daily and now I haven't heard from him in almost a week. Just curious...

Hope you are having a fantastic summer!

Lots of Love,

Lily

* * *

><p>July 29<p>

Mary,

I got your letter. Your new owl is adorable! I'm sure I probably overfed him, but he was just too cute!

I'm glad your summer is going so well. Mine has been absolute murder. Mum and Dad have been dragging me to countless dinners with "respectable" pureblood families. Mum told me that it was "to keep the Killington name in the forefront of the high society's mind." What a load of rubbish. I think she believes me stupid. You see, it just so happens that every single one of these families just happen to have a son that is between the ages of 17 and 25. Coincidence? I think not. Let me tell you, it'll be a cold day in hell before I agree to an arranged marriage.

In light of my newly-found rebellious streak, I have decided to host a "Girl's Night" at the manor. Don't worry, I plan to have it on the weekend that Mum and Dad are traveling to France for business.

So spread the word to the girls. The party is on!

Margaret

* * *

><p>July 31<p>

Wormtail,

Hope your summer is going well. We haven't heard from you in a while. Are you going to be able to come over to Prongs' this summer?

Remus

* * *

><p>August 2<p>

Longbottom,

WHAT ARE YOU DOING? The party is on at Potter Manor, so march your pretty boy arse up to that frighteningly intimidating mother of yours, kiss her hand, and ask her politely if you can come over. Remus is already here!

Sirius and James

* * *

><p>August 4<p>

Alice,

Stop fretting, darling. I assure you that Mum thinks you're just as fantastic as I do. Well, maybe not QUITE that fantastic, but she does, nonetheless, think you're great. I know that she can come off as a bit...abrasive...but you're just going to have to trust me on this one, alright?

I was also writing to let you know that I am going to spending the next week or so at James' place with him and Sirius. They sent me a letter a few days ago inviting me, and Mum just gave the ok. It seems as though I might be becoming the fifth Marauder...scary thought, isn't it?

Love you,

Frank

* * *

><p>August 5<p>

Peter,

Hey stranger! Where have you been? I haven't heard from you in over a week! What are you doing over there? August is here already and I've only seen you once! Anyways, no matter. I just wanted to write and tell you how much fun we had at Margaret's house last weekend. Well, I say "house". It's much more like a bloody mansion. it was huge! I don't know if I've ever had that much fun in my entire life! We made these weird things called...smores? I don't know. They were some muggle snack Liv and Lily showed us. They were delicious! Oh, Merlin, if the Killington's only knew that muggle food was being eaten inside their own home, and by their daughter, no less! We did each other's hair while munching on muggle snacks, and we even watched movies on a muggle television. Isn't that brilliant! Lily and Liv finally figured out how to charm it to work even in the presence of magic! They had been working on that since 3rd year, so everyone was really happy for them. Anyways, I suppose I've rambled on for long enough. Write me back!

All my Love,

Mary

* * *

><p><strong>August 9<strong>

**Miss Olivia Hansen,**

**Master James Harold Potter and Master Sirius Orion Black would like to formally extend an invitation to attend the Potter Manor End of Summer Extravaganza which will be hosted on Friday, August 22, starting at 5 o'clock in the evening.**

**Dress is informal and we ask you reply with your RSVP. Any regards may be kindly shoved up your arse. We await your response at your earliest convenience.**

* * *

><p>August 12<p>

Alice,

Yes, I'm pretty sure that they sent an invite to every Gryffindor in our year. Remus also mentioned in a letter to Liv that the Potters aren't even going to be home that weekend. What's with everyone hosting these illegal house parties? And what's even sadder is that I can't deny that I'm beyond bloody excited about it. I think it's going to get pretty wild. See you there!

Lots of Love,

Lily

* * *

><p>August 13<p>

Liv,

Thanks so much for the dress robes. I absolutely love them. You really shouldn't have. I had a great birthday. My parents came over to Potter Manor and we all celebrated here. (My parents have been friends with the Potters for ages.) I'm glad you're going to be able to come to the party. Knowing James and Sirius, it should be anywhere along the lines of insane, over-the-top, and potentially dangerous every now and again. Please be sure to tell Milo that I said hello. I know how he gets when he feels he's not getting enough attention.

I've missed you, and I can't wait to see you at the party.

Remus

* * *

><p>August 15<p>

Padfoot and Prongs,

Sorry I haven't written in a while. I have been busy lately. Mum has not been feeling very well, so I've been trying to help out a little more. I'm going to do my best to try and make it to the party, but I'm not sure yet.

-Wormtail

* * *

><p>August 16<p>

Frank,

Did you get the invite to the party? I know that we had talked about going to visit my great aunt Clara that day, but I really, really want to go to the party next week. Please? Maybe we can move up our visit with Clara? We just can't miss this party. Everyone is going to be there! Except maybe Peter. Lily said that he told James that he had a lot going on right now or something. Write me back and let me know what you think!

I love you,

Alice

* * *

><p>August 25<p>

James and Sirius,

That party was INSANE! I can't believe that most all of Hogwarts showed up. I must admit, you two are the masters. (Insert bow of worship here.) I think I was still slightly hungover this morning, and the party was three days ago! Which, considering the staggering amount of firewhiskey you two managed to smuggle in, it's a pure miracle that no one died. I wasn't sure we'd get through the night with a zero death count after Sirius decided to lead the drunken naked base-jumping activity on the roof of the manor. Thank Merlin Lily, Olivia, and Remus weren't too drunk to slow everyone down before hitting the ground. Speaking of Remus, I don't know if I've ever seen someone punch someone as hard as he did when he hit that Ravenclaw bloke. As drunk as he was, the poor blighter never even saw it coming. I think every guy thought twice about trying to cop a feel while dancing with Olivia. Anyways, I guess I'll see you lot on Saturday at the train station. I can't believe we are about to start our final year at Hogwarts! See you soon.

Frank

* * *

><p>August 26<p>

Lily,

I just heard the news. Congrats on getting Head Girl! (Liv told me.) I can't even imagine how the staff chose between you and Liv. You two are basically the same person. Which, I'd bet Liv isn't too torn up considering her newly appointed position as prefect. if I'm not mistaken, she's going to be spending an obscene amount of time with a certain Marauder...

Merlin, this is going to be a fantastic year.

Love,

Mary

* * *

><p>August 26<p>

Sirius,

JAMES GOT HEAD BOY? Holy shite, this year is going to be amazing.

-Margaret

* * *

><p>August 28<p>

Lily,

Congrats on Head Girl. You're going to be brilliant. I'm sure that Liv is excited about taking up Prefect. Sorry for the lack of letters. I've been pretty busy this summer. I can't wait to see everyone on the platform in a few days.

Your Friend,

Peter

* * *

><p>August 31<p>

Remus,

Thanks so much for the congrats letter. Of course, I'm extremely excited about being a prefect. I just hope I'm able to do a good job. I don't want to blow it and make a fool out of Gryffindor.

As for what I've been doing, I spent a few days with Lily since I haven't seen her parents is what feels like ages, but now I'm back home packing everything up for the coming term. I can't wrap my head around the fact that this is going to be our last year at Hogwarts. Surreal, isnt' it? I'm sure that everyone will still be talking about James and Sirius' big party. I know that the girls are still jabbering away about it.

Anyways, I suppose I should go and collect the rest of my things. After all, we have to be at the platform tomorrow!

I can't wait to see you.

Lots of Love,

Olivia

* * *

><p><strong><em>Review? :)<em>**


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